


Ad Sumus

by missgoalie75



Series: Ex Scientia Vera [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-16 03:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 47,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16945827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missgoalie75/pseuds/missgoalie75
Summary: "Finding out you have friends has truly been a blessing to my week."Theodore glowers at him.|Tracey Davis', Neville Longbottom's, Luna Lovegood's, Daphne Greengrass', and Theodore Nott's point of views two years after the Battle of Hogwarts.





	1. Literra Scripta Manet

**Author's Note:**

> **Characters/Pairings:** Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Tracey Davis, feat. Astoria Greengrass, Draco Malfoy, Rolf Scamander, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and others; Theodore/Daphne, mentioned Draco/Astoria and hinted Luna/Rolf
> 
>  **A/N:** Title is Latin for “Here we are.” This is by far the most self-indulgent project of mine, but I can't seem to let it go. A million thank yous to Annie for being the beta and helping me out when I got stuck.
> 
>  **FINAL NOTE:** If you hover over dialogue in a language other than English, the English translation will show up in a floating box. If you are on mobile, this will not work. Please see translations [HERE](http://missgoalie75.tumblr.com/ad-sumus-translations).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Written Word Endures

Tracey

Tracey Davis had walked into her boss' office the first opportunity she had to pitch her article about inter-House unity that didn't involve Dumbledore's Army and actually included Slytherins who didn't agree with You-Know-Who's takeover of Hogwarts, but it was poor timing. Before she could make the request, she was immediately assigned to an article that took almost six months of researching, traveling, and writing.

Then again, she could also view it as decent timing since she needed a big distraction after ending her relationship with Ben. Apparently, he's dating someone new now – a Hufflepuff girl who's a year younger than them. So she hears.

But now that her article is done – a piece on international trade relations with the UK in the aftermath of You-Know-Who (dreadfully dull, to be honest, even though she got to travel to the United States, Canada, Argentina, France, Russia, and China) – she finally pitches her idea: an inside scoop of the underground book lending system at Hogwarts.

Her boss, William Fraser – a man whose age she isn't quite sure she can pinpoint: sometimes in the right lighting, he looks as young as thirty-something, others, she's sure he's close to fifty – furrows his brow at her pitch. She fights the urge to play with a curl of her hair.

(She’s heard that he’s the superior editor-in-chief in comparison to Barnabas Cuffe, who was quickly forced out in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts; he just couldn’t be trusted after what had happened over the last few years between being a mouthpiece for the government and everything else.)

Fraser hums. "Is this the thing that Longbottom said he ran with that Slytherin girl?"

"Her name is Daphne Greengrass. She's actually one of my dearest friends," Tracey corrects. "And yes. But that's the thing – he didn't start it. Another Slytherin did."

His brow furrows further, aging him. "Why would he lie about that? Fame getting to his head?" he questions out loud, already trying to find an angle to the story.

"Longbottom is genuinely as nice as he appears – he's not obsessed with fame," Tracey says with a roll of his eyes.

"Then why lie?"

"To protect the one who really started it."

"Who started it? Your attempt at suspense is only irritating me."

Tracey tries not to be offended. "Theodore Nott. He was in my year – his father –"

"Of course, I know who his father is. One of the original Death Eaters – his _son_ , you're claiming –"

"I'm not _claiming_ , it _is_ true –"

"He started a secret book lending system behind his father's back. Why?"

"Because he obviously didn't approve what was going on at Hogwarts. You weren't there – you didn't know what it was like that year." Tracey hates thinking about how she expected so much better out of her last year at school and instead felt paralyzing fear most of the time. "I think it's pretty telling he didn't immediately become a Death Eater once You-Know-Who had taken over Hogwarts like all the others. I mean, look at Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle –"

"Okay, fine, but _if_ that's the case – the kid has been gone for _two years_. He ran off presumably during the Battle of Hogwarts. Why? And why stay away if the side he wanted to win had won?"

Tracey shrugs. "I don't know. I didn't know him well. Nobody did, really. But I think this story is worth exploring. I mean, you have two of the biggest leaders of the resistance assisting with this and _trusting_ Nott, the son of a prominent Death Eater, enough to do it. They were already risking a lot with Dumbledore's Army."

Fraser exhales, leaning back in his chair as he thinks. She forces herself not to fidget.

"Interesting," he allows. "Although I'm not sure about having you write it."

"I guarantee you that Daphne will not talk to anyone else," Tracey says with forced calmness. "And you won't get the full story without her."

"Hm, of course. Slytherins must stick together."

Tracey ignores the snide comment. "This is _my_ story. I'm the only one here with any sort of real perspective on it. Nobody else was there _and_ managed to get glimpses of what was going on. Ask anyone – as Richards, ask Corrigan – they don't know a thing –"

"What did you mean about 'not getting the full story without her'?" he interrupts her.

She raises her eyebrows and purses her mouth.

"Ah, I see." The corner of his mouth twitches. She thinks it might be begrudging respect. "Alright. Fine. I'll let you start working on it."

"I'll need to go to Japan. Daphne is currently working there."

This time he properly grimaces. "Fine."

"I'll reach out to all parties and see about picking a date to have everyone be available."

"A group interview?" he asks, unconvinced.

"It'll be the first time they will be in the same space together," she says with a smile.

**

Tracey spends the extra money to send Daphne a letter quickly, informing her that the article has been approved and which possible dates would work for her and her busy schedule.

She gets a response a week later, the handwriting off like Daphne hasn't written in a while, which is preposterous until Tracey remembers that she's probably been writing in Japanese for the most part over the last five months. Daphne suggests the beginning of April, referencing the blooming of cherry blossoms. 

Tracey finds out that Lovegood has been traveling around the world and is difficult to get in touch with, so she reaches out to Longbottom, who has begun studying under Professor Sprout to replace her. Rumors, of course, but Tracey believes them.

Longbottom responds with enthusiasm – exclamation points and all – and says he can go to Japan for the requested dates and he will let Lovegood know.

Tracey thanks him and says she's looking forward to it.

**

They're meeting at a garden – a temple, really – where Daphne has reserved a small tea house for the afternoon. Tracey had imagined the interview occurring in her grandparents' house, but she supposes Daphne doesn't want the risk of others knowing where her family lives. She also knows that the Greengrass family is not nearly as wealthy as they were before the fall of You-Know-Who, but she supposes that Daphne's maternal grandparents are still very much comfortable in their finances.

 _The Daily Prophet_ has connections all over the world, so Tracey will be staying at a small inn located somewhere in Kyoto for two nights – Tracey figures that Daphne will at least point her in the right direction when the time comes.

The Portkey to Kyoto is scheduled for first thing Thursday morning – Kyoto is eight hours ahead of London, so she will arrive just after lunch. While she waits for the activation, yawning every other moment, she's surprised when Longbottom comes in two minutes before, out of breath and winded, his shirt untucked and his jumper on backwards, Tracey believes.

"Made it," Longbottom sighs. He spots Tracey at once. "Hello – I had thought you'd left earlier!" he greets her.

"Could only come today. I just hope I can wake up," Tracey says. "Your jumper I believe is on backwards, by the way."

Longbottom flushes and scrambles within his jumper, twisting it so it's the right way. "Thanks," he says, rubbing the back his neck for a second before trying to tuck in his shirt. "Totally overslept. I was trying to take care of –"

"One minute," Tracey overhears someone yell.

Tracey politely smiles at Longbottom, grateful to have been spared whatever held him up. "Well, you made it just in time."

Once he's put himself together, his strong arm pressed up against hers, she realizes that Longbottom is definitely not the same boy he was at school; a definite improvement.

**

Going through customs is relatively quick, even though Tracey is asked specific, pointed questions regarding her article and why she was interviewing a Japanese citizen.

(Tracey had no idea that Daphne had dual citizenship. But Tracey isn't surprised – Daphne likes her secrets.)

When they walk outside, Tracey immediately spots Daphne, who has cut her hair a little shorter, but otherwise looks the same. She smiles brightly – well, brightly in Daphne's case, which is rather tame in comparison to other people – and raises her hand.

" _Ohayo_! Hi!"

"Hey, Daphne!"

Tracey hugs Daphne, remembers to keep it brief. 

" _Ohayo-gozaimsu_!" Longbottom greets in a clunky manner.

Daphne smiles. "You can just say _ohayo_ – we're friendly enough."

"So - _gozaimsu_ makes it polite?"

"Essentially."

Tracey doesn't follow, but she was never very good with languages, even when her parents wanted her to learn French as a child.

"I'm assuming you're both staying at –" Daphne says a name Tracey thinks sounds like the inn's name, but she only recognizes how it looks spelled out in English.

"No, actually, I'm staying with an acquaintance of Professor Sprout's…Sara Kobayashi? She wants to meet me to see if I can intern under her."

Daphne smiles in amusement. "Of course."

"What?"

"Names can be written using different kanji, which gives names different meanings. Sara, for example can mean good fortune and also mean vivid blossom. Kobayashi means small forest. So, it's fitting that you're to study Herbology under her," Daphne explains while they walk. 

Longbottom's eyes widen. "Wow! That's amazing!"

"I can Apparate you individually. It's about an hour outside of the city, just…" Daphne trails, eyes roaming before landing on a particular street. "Ah, soko…"

Daphne explains that magic is weaved into the city, that there isn't a designated place in Kyoto where wizards can congregate and shop like Diagon Alley in London. She says it's subtle, that information travels mostly through word of mouth, but sometimes, markings can be found on shop signs, or something will catch the eye of a witch or wizard but not a Muggle…

Daphne leads them into a tea shop. The owner, presumably, greets them and Daphne requests something in Japanese, the owner nodding and leading them to the back.

"Stay here, I'll come get you," Daphne says, grabbing Longbottom's arm first and Disapparating with a loud _pop_.

Tracey barely has time to look around the room when Daphne comes back for her. "You really love it here?" Tracey questions before Daphne can take her arm.

Daphne blinks. "It's home," she tells her.

Tracey doesn't know if that's a real answer or not. Daphne takes her arm and they're off.

**

They walk down the bottom of a hill in silence. When they get to the entrance, Luna Lovegood is waiting outside. She's humming to herself and looking up at the sky. Nothing about her has changed over the years – she's even wearing an ugly pair of earrings and mismatched socks.

"Luna! I'm glad you got my letter!" Longbottom exclaims, walking toward her to hug her.

"I just received it yesterday. A new acquaintance of mine said he was coming to the area, so I came with him. We're going to travel around Japan together."

"Who is it?" Longbottom asks.

"Rolf. He's very nice."

Longbottom's eyebrows shoot up. "Rolf Scamander? Really?"

Tracey's eyes widen, but she doesn't say anything. 

"Runs in the family, I suppose," Daphne says, unphased. "Shall we? We only have this garden reserved for a few hours."

They begin walking through the entrance down the trail. Tracey soaks in the garden, forming sentences in her mind to develop the opening paragraph or two – something akin to being transported to a different kind of living. 

"I'm surprised you were able to do that, given that this time of year brings people from all over the world," Lovegood says.

Daphne doesn't respond for a moment. "I did a favor for the family."

They arrive at what Daphne explains that the building is a temple turned tea house that has been run by the same family for hundreds of years. The family in question – an elderly couple – comes outside to greet them, bowing. Daphne and Lovegood follow suit, with Longbottom doing the same a few seconds afterward.

"You're just in time," the old man says in English, thankfully.

"One of your party arrived fifteen minutes ago. We're very impressed with his Japanese. He says he taught himself – most remarkable."

"Who –?" Tracey starts, looking at Lovegood, Longbottom – 

Daphne has never been one to showcase her emotions – she's careful of her face revealing too much, but given that Tracey has been her friend for years, she can recognize certain things – mainly from her eyes, but sometimes, she'll purse her mouth in disapproval, her eyebrows will raise in disbelief, her nose will wrinkle in disgust –

But Tracey has never seen Daphne's mouth parted, her eyes alight in surprise and, dare Tracey say…happiness?

In the blink of an eye, Daphne is back to her serious self, speaking quickly in Japanese to the couple, who seem to answer positively, judging by their nods and smiles.

" _Hai, dozo_ ," they say, stepping to the side.

Daphne walks forward and Lovegood skips behind her, grinning from ear to ear. "Do you feel it?" she asks excitedly.

"Feel what?" Longbottom questions.

"He's here!"

 _He_ being Nott, Tracey realizes with a shock. He's sitting on a cushion on the floor, calmly drinking tea. He glances up to look at them. Tracey never liked the way he looked at people, like he was studying them, or worse, he already knew what he was looking at and was indifferent. There's an intensity that always put her on edge.

"Self-taught?" Daphne questions in lieu of a greeting.

" _Sore wa muzukashīdesuga…watashi wa iyoku-tekidesu,_ " Nott says a tad slowly, but he doesn't stumble over his words.

A smile slowly blooms on Daphne's face. " _Sōdesu ka._ "

To Tracey's immense surprise, a small smile flashes on Nott's face. 

"I thought I felt you here, but I didn't want to say anything," Lovegood says happily, taking the seat beside Nott. "You still leave traces."

"Perhaps that was on purpose," he quips.

"It never is." She reaches to the cup in Nott's hand and takes it, placing it in front of him. "You're being rude, you should greet everyone properly. We haven't seen you in a long time."

There's a flash of amusement in Nott's eyes before he stands up, walking towards Daphne. " _Ohisashiburi-desu ne,_ " he says.

" _Hisashiburi,_ " she says, almost like a correction.

He nods his head in acknowledgement. Tracey is almost disappointed when he turns to Longbottom and holds out his hand. "Longbottom," he greets.

Tracey tries to catch Daphne's eye, but Daphne has already turned toward the elderly couple and has begun conversing with them in Japanese.

"Hi Davis, it's been a while."

Tracey turns to look at Nott, who has also held out his hand. He still looks the same, she thinks while shaking his hand – his grip is firm, and he keeps eye contact with her. He is still tall, his eyes still intense and almost strange, his face and body lean, but there are some small changes: his hair seems more windswept and his clothes don't seem as perfectly pressed as they were while they were in school.

"How did you find out about this?" Tracey asks, busying herself with taking out her notebook, ink, and quill.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere," he says with his hands behind his back.

"Vague," she mutters, but writes down the quote all the same.

"That's the point."

He goes back to his seat and Longbottom goes to sit across from Lovegood. Daphne rejoins their group and offers the seat at the head of the table to Tracey. "You're running this – it's only appropriate," she says before lowering herself down on the seat across from Nott.

Tracey steels herself and drops her writing materials onto the table before reaching into her bag for her camera. "Do you mind? I would like to take a few."

They all murmur some version of, 'not at all,' so Tracey brings the camera up to her face. Lovegood grins widely, Longbottom smiles normally, Daphne's mouth is slightly turned up, and Nott stares blankly. Tracey sighs and takes the picture.

**

They are all served tea and there are sweets on the table. Once the shoji is shut, they sit in silence.

"So, how does it feel to be together in the same room for the first time?" Tracey asks.

They all look at each other.

"A little strange," Daphne admits.

"Weird," Longbottom offers.

Nott nods in agreement.

"I think it's lovely," Lovegood says.

Longbottom smiles at Lovegood. "That too."

Tracey smiles a little. "I guess I should start from the beginning: how did the book lending system come about? I know it started in October or November, but then it really picked up speed in February. What happened during that timeline?"

Daphne, Lovegood, and Longbottom look to Nott.

"I started acquiring my collection after the book burning that occurred," Nott begins to explain. "I didn't care for my access to knowledge being so restricted. But Daphne caught me reading one of the banned books and asked to borrow it…and _she_ was then caught," he narrows his eyes at Daphne, but Tracey is mostly…or pretty sure…that Nott is amused.

"I think Tracey has turned out trustworthy, yes?" Daphne retorts.

Nott's gaze flickers to Tracey, who tries not to feel so flustered; she had completely forgotten about that – catching Daphne reading that textbook. 

"And then, more Slytherins had heard about it because that House cannot keep a secret," Nott continues, rolling his eyes.

"Ravenclaw found out," Lovegood interjects. "And I became a happy customer."

"It was admittedly disjointed, the initial roll out," Nott says. "But regular security checks, as you remember, didn't properly start until later on."

"That's the thing – we obviously had no access to any sort of schedule – how did you find out? Was your father involved?" Tracey asks.

"No. A professor was helpful in providing some information regarding the random security checks."

"Are we allowed to disclose?" Tracey trails off, looking at all of them.

They all look at each other. "We'll get back to you," Longbottom says.

Tracey has a feeling it's Professor McGonagall, but she doesn't say anything. "But you were caught – the first time," Tracey says, getting back on track.

"Unfortunately, a fifth year was and informed the staff that I was responsible."

"I missed this. I was imprisoned in the Malfoy Manor during this time," Lovegood says, but Tracey is surprised by the lucidity of her eyes, how cold they are.

"That's when I came in. I returned a book that Luna had borrowed," Longbottom continues.

"But that was in January…right? Is when you were caught and did detention for over a month, right?"

"Six weeks," Nott agrees. "One week for every book in circulation."

"That was a lie," Tracey states rather than questions.

"I was off by about thirty."

Tracey had no idea how expansive it was. She has a hard time remembering what she did that year that was more important than this.

"How did you come to the decision to start it again?"

Nott looks to Daphne; they seem to be remembering. "We had bumped into each other on the grounds while everyone was in Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day. He suggested it, and I agreed to help," Daphne says slowly.

Tracey remembers that trip to Hogsmeade. Ben had bought her a silver bracelet and said she was the most beautiful person he knew. They had snogged almost the entire time. She remembers coming back and talking with Daphne, showing her the bracelet and the chocolates, giving her a box since she felt badly that she stayed behind to be with her ill sister, but Tracey didn't pay attention to Daphne, didn't ask how her day went.

Tracey supposes Daphne would've just lied anyway, but still feels like a bad friend.

"So, it started again, and you had a contract this time, that I can recall, and…Daphne, you went to Longbottom?"

"During Herbology," Longbottom confirms. "But I didn't agree until I spoke with Nott."

"I'm surprised you agreed," Nott says.

"The thing is…I felt like what you were saying…was something along the lines of what a Slytherin would think. Not a Death Eater. If that makes sense. It was when I realized that the two could really be separated," Longbottom thinks out loud.

Nott raises an eyebrow. "You told me I would've made a terrible Death Eater."

"I still stand by that," Longbottom says with a grin, picking up a sweet.

"What, why?" Tracey asks, confused.

"Because he's a terrible follower," Daphne answers for them.

Longbottom looks surprised.

"I came to that conclusion a long time ago," Daphne says with a small shrug before taking a sip of her tea.

"Why?" Tracey asks, looking at Nott.

Nott stares at her.

"Why didn't you want to be a Death Eater?" she continues, forcing to keep her tone even.

"I thought we were discussing the book lending enterprise," Nott says without missing a beat.

"We are. But this is important. This was your idea – if you had become a Death Eater, or were waiting to be one, would you have really done all this?"

Nott stares at Tracey with a cool expression. 

"I wouldn't have believed in you if I thought for a moment you'd become a Death Eater," Lovegood says, breaking the tense silence.

"And I wouldn't have gone along with this if I hadn't trusted Luna," Longbottom adds.

"So maybe you should ask Luna," Nott offers, drinking his tea.

Tracey finds Nott _irritating_ , but she hates more how he unsettles her.

"Theodore," Daphne starts.

"Theodore has always been a solitary person," Lovegood says, eyes looking into space, her voice soft. "He always wanted to do things in his way and when someone got in the way of it, he made a point to do what he wanted _and_ more."

"So…out of spite?" Longbottom suggests. "And profit, of course."

Nott snorts into his cup.

Tracey puts down her quill in annoyance.

"Theodore, _daijobu,_ " Daphne says.

" _Doshite watashi ga kon'na koto ni_?" Nott shoots back.

" _Jūyōdakara_."

" _Dare no tame_?"

"Them, you, me, us," Daphne says in English, nodding towards the table, placing a hand over her heart.

Nott breathes.

Tracey swallows.

Nott shuts his eyes briefly, takes another long sip of his tea, then looks to Tracey. "I hated my father for over ten years. People can speculate as to why. I knew from a young age that I would never follow in his footsteps." He looks away and sips his tea again.

"I'm assuming then, that your father didn't know," Tracey says quietly.

"I played my part to be left unbothered."

Tracey busies herself writing because she can't stand the uncomfortable silence.

"This food is really amazing, Daphne, what are they?" Lovegood asks.

"They're called _wagashi_ , which usually made of _mochi_ , a, uh…type of bean paste, and fruits. They're confectionery sweets," Daphne explains. She points to each one and describes what they're made of. Some of them sound disgusting to Tracey, but since she's eaten three of them willingly, she figures sometimes it's best not to know what's in the things you eat.

Once they're finished, Daphne stands and says, "We can walk around the gardens. Maybe we can speak off the record."

Tracey puts away her things and drapes her camera around her neck.

**

Tracey immediately understands what Lovegood had meant about everyone traveling from all over the world to come here to see the cherry blossoms. She practically wastes a roll of film solely on photographing them.

But she also takes pictures of the four of them, walking behind them to get a group shot. Daphne makes sure to tell her it's incredibly cheesy, but only after Tracey gets the photograph.

Tracey asks Nott why he ended the system. There was still over a month left of school – why not go until the very end?

"Because we were barely keeping up with the increasing security after the Easter holiday," Nott explains, picking a cherry blossom off his shoulder. "The risks outweighed the benefits."

" _I_ thought it was too risky," Daphne says, coming up on Nott's other side. "I asked to end it. He went along with it."

"I agreed with your reasoning. Besides, I didn't much fancy having detention for the rest of the year," Nott points out.

Daphne sighs. "That's it, essentially. Then it ended."

Tracey looks ahead to find Lovegood and Longbottom looking up at the trees. They're holding hands, but Tracey thinks it's platonic, so she doesn't bother photographing it. Besides, she's not involved in the gossip section of _The Prophet_.

**

"How did the book lending system help Dumbledore's Army?"

Longbottom lowers his head and looks at Tracey. "Well, since we weren't learning a thing in school, it helped for us to self-teach. For everyone in sixth year or below, we used notes and old tests and textbooks to teach them, but for seventh years…we had to learn things for ourselves. So, I'd say it was extremely helpful."

"I have another question that's for you and Lovegood," Tracey curls her hair behind her ear and ends up pulling out a cherry blossom. "Why wasn't Ginny Weasley involved? I mean, you three were leaders of the DA that year…doesn't really make sense to leave one of them out of this."

Lovegood and Longbottom look at each other. "Well, I mean…" Longbottom starts, wincing.

"Ginny didn't want to fraternize. Which was fine. I love her, but she is stubborn in her ways," Lovegood says.

"Off the record. That was off the record," Longbottom says quickly, pleadingly.

Tracey looks over to Daphne, who has a stern expression. Nott, standing beside her, is...almost understanding, which, considering, made sense; he didn’t bother fraternizing at all.

"I suggest a rephrasing in the next minute, Longbottom, or that's going to print," Tracey says, unable to keep the anger out of her tone.

The Weasleys are untouchable. Insulting them would only lower her credibility.

"Ginny was the leader of the DA, at least until Easter," Longbottom says slowly. "That was her main focus. Everything else…she trusted to us. She was busy, that's why."

Tracey shakes her head, but writes it down.

"She's grateful, too. I mean, she definitely learned from the books we had."

"That's wonderful," Daphne says with so much sarcasm that Tracey snorts.

"I'm sorry," Longbottom says. "I'm not saying it was right. It was a horrible time for everyone. I tried to make things right afterward."

Daphne's eyes soften. "I know. You're one of the few."

"As far as I'm concerned, the only Slytherin who should be punished and hasn't been is Draco Malfoy," Lovegood states.

"Off the record," Daphne says at once.

Tracey looks at her in surprise.

"My sister is dating him. I can't, I'm sorry," Daphne explains to Lovegood.

Lovegood stares at her for a few seconds. "One day your loyalty to your family will cost you more than you're willing to give."

" _Luna_ ," Nott says sharply to Lovegood, who stares back, unphased. Daphne aborts a movement toward Nott.

Nott looks to Tracey, his face still holding traces of anger. "Davis, please ask your next question."

To lighten the mood and move on from that awkward exchange that she doesn't understand the context of, Tracey asks, "I don't suppose you'll tell me where you're hiding?"

"No. My apologies," he responds flatly.

"Couldn't hurt to ask."

They continue walking and eventually, the tension and awkwardness fades. There's a small lake with lily pads and vibrant fish. Lovegood plops herself by the lake and wiggles her fingers in the water.

"I have to ask – it can be off the record – but…how do you put up with her? She's… _Loony Lovegood_ ," Tracey asks Nott.

Nott stares at Lovegood for a moment. "I rather like her unconventional thinking. She's smarter than most people. That can be on the record."

Tracey blinks in surprise and notes it like a good reporter.

“So, I guess my next question is…when do you plan on coming home?” Tracey asks.

“I have something in the works,” Nott responds in a vague manner.

Tracey rolls her eyes to look at Daphne, who is staring at Nott like she’s trying to read him. Nott glances at Daphne, holding her gaze for a few moments. Daphne raises her eyebrows and gives him a small smile.

**

Tracey gets a shot of Nott against the cherry blossoms – he’s looking ahead, then up, and for a moment, he shuts his eyes in peace. She’s grateful that Lovegood laughs loudly and it masks the click and shutter of the camera. She’ll develop that for Daphne, if she wants.

**

"I'm asking you as your friend," Tracey starts, putting away her notepad to reinforce her point. Lovegood, Longbottom, and Nott are further away. Nott is reading a large book, Longbottom is dozing against a tree, and Lovegood is resting on the grass, staring up at the trees and sky. "Is this the first time you've seen Nott in almost two years?"

Daphne is expressionless. "No," she admits. "I saw him six months ago."

"Did he come to London? Japan?"

"Neither. I came to him."

"So, you know where he is."

"Thanks to Luna. She accidentally found him."

Tracey snorts. "That I can believe." She smiles slyly. "So…"

Daphne looks at Tracey with an unamused expression.

"Did anything happen?" Tracey presses, excited.

Daphne swallows and looks away, a faint blush on her cheeks. 

Tracey squeals and Daphne reaches over to grab Tracey's arm. "Stop it," Daphne hisses. "Yes, fine. But obviously, no one can know."

"Wow, I just – _finally_. But I'm also shocked because it's _Nott_. I figured he wasn't capable of normal emotions." Tracey suddenly realizes something. "Wait, if something happened, then why are you still acting like you're nothing more than acquaintances? Is it me?"

Daphne smiles sadly. "Tracey. I grew up in a home where my parents did not engage in any public displays of affection beyond holding hands, and even that happened rarely. Theodore had seen nothing positive from his parents. It's just not in either of our natures."

"But that's nonsense – we're not dictated by our parents – shouldn't Nott know that better than anyone?"

"We're just not comfortable with it. It doesn't mean that we don't…" Daphne trails off, either not knowing the words to say, or knowing exactly which words to say but not feeling able to say them.

Tracey's heart aches. "I just want you to be happy," she tells her with all the honesty she can muster.

Daphne inhales and exhales slowly. "I am. The weather is beautiful, the cherry blossoms are vibrant, and I'm with people I've sorely missed by being on this side of the world," Daphne says with a serene smile.

Tracey sighs and takes her writing materials out of her bag again. "After the war, you've remained in Japan, primarily."

"My parents wanted my sister and me to be safe. I only remained because I grew to appreciate it."

"What are the biggest differences between England and Japan?"

"Beyond the fact that they start learning at age seven versus eleven?" Daphne shakes her head. "It's extremely competitive. There are a lot more educational opportunities once you're seventeen. There is a strive towards excellence and perfection…"

"Sounds perfect for you," Tracey says.

Daphne smiles. "I'm not fully Japanese, so it can make things difficult, but…I feel like I fit more."

"Is that why you go by your…grandparents' name? Your mother's maiden name?"

"I'm sure other families would be grateful to shed their last names that are associated with the war," Daphne answers with a dark expression. 

"What do you want people to consider about you – about us Slytherins – post-war? Unfortunately, our House has been intertwined with Death Eaters and You-Know-Who, and now that he's finally defeated for good…what's left? What's next?" Tracey asks, but really, she wants to know for herself – what is next? _How do we move on_?

"Theodore," Daphne calls out. Nott's head lifts at once. "I think you need to answer this question too."

Nott shuts his book and hands it over to Lovegood, who takes it and begins reading where he left off. He walks over to them with his hands in his pockets and _huh_ , okay, he's…rather cool. Or at least now, he appears _way_ more attractive than Malfoy, who gets invited to parties and meetings because _he saved Potter and his friends during their quest_ , never mind the fact that he could never fully commit to either side and that time, it worked in his favor.

"What's the question?" Nott asks.

"How do we want people to view our House now – what's left now that the Dark Lord is gone for good," Daphne answers.

Nott exhales and shrugs. "What's left is what the House has always valued: cunning, resourcefulness, ambition. They're all seen in a negative light, but what's so wrong about being motivated, of wanting to achieve something? And people also tend to forget we're loyal too – Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs don't have the monopoly on that character trait."

"You also disregard the rules," Lovegood shouts.

"How the hell did she hear –" Tracey starts.

"We wouldn't be here if we all didn't," Theodore interrupts her, the corner of his mouth quirked in amusement.

Lovegood grins and lowers her head to continue reading.

Tracey shakes her head and turns to Daphne. "So, what do you think?"

"Mahoutokoro doesn't have Houses. Sometimes I think Hogwarts does a disservice by immediately splitting students and encouraging competition based on the colors they wear. It seems so trivial," Daphne answers.

"So how does Quidditch work over there?" Tracey asks.

"Because obviously that's the biggest concern," Nott says dryly.

"Sorry, must be prepared for when I inevitably get letters about it."

Daphne smiles. "It's based on a lottery system, the teams that do the poorest get first pick on most talented players."

"Hm," Tracey hums.

"But I think we should be just viewed as people. Kids, really. We're not children anymore, of course, but we were. And there are still children in Hogwarts wearing green and silver. Please be kind," Daphne says with sad eyes.

They haven't brought it up – how two Slytherin girls killed themselves during Easter Recess, leaving letters behind detailing how they felt targeted at Hogwarts, how hated they felt.

Tracey throat closes as she nods. Sometimes she's just so tired and wants to pretend she was homeschooled, just to avoid the inevitable look of judgment when she mentions she was in Slytherin.

But no one cares about that when you have peers whose parents were killed, who lost siblings, who lost friends. _Poetic justice_ , some would say.

Tracey figures an eye for an eye will only make everyone blind with rage.

"So…what now?" Tracey asks out loud.

Daphne and Nott look at each other. "Move forward," Nott answers to Tracey's surprise.

"Do better," Daphne adds. "The war changed everyone."

It did. Some for the better, Tracey thinks when she considers Longbottom looking her in the eye and speaking with conviction, or Nott, who doesn't seem as guarded as he did in school (although that's not to say he's an open book – she has _no idea_ how Daphne puts up with him, even though Daphne isn't one for sharing much either, there's still a marked difference between them).

But Tracey can't get Lovegood's eyes out of her head when they talk about Malfoy, what Death Eaters did to her and her father. And even though Daphne seems to have embraced the part of herself that she didn't acknowledge much in school, there's still a weight on her shoulders that she acquired.

Tracey puts her notebook away. "How much time do we have?"

Daphne looks at her watch. "About an hour."

"Well, I'm going to take a nap under that tree. Wake me up when it's time to leave."

Daphne smiles. "Sure."

**

Tracey does doze for a bit, although she wakes up at one point and spots Daphne and Nott speaking quietly a few meters away – Tracey isn't able to figure out what language they're speaking. Nott reaches out and plucks a cherry blossom from Daphne's hair. Even though Tracey is too far away to see clearly, she likes to think he's smiling just a little. She shuts her eyes again, not wanting to ruin the moment.

**

Daphne gathers everyone and leads them back to the tea house. Tracey takes more pictures because she wants to remember this. Lovegood at one point puts a hand on her camera and lowers it.

"Just be here," Lovegood says before spinning away. 

Longbottom walks ahead of Tracey and shrugs. Tracey shakes her head and lets her camera hang around her neck the rest of the walk.

The elderly couple is waiting for them. The man says something in Japanese to Daphne and he and his wife bow deeply. Daphne looks almost flustered as she shakes her head and insists something in Japanese, but the couple sound insistent. Nott’s brow is furrowed in concentration during the exchange, but at one point, his eyes widen, and then there’s an expression that’s so unfamiliar to Tracey that she can’t figure it out until the couple explains in English that Daphne had been instrumental in saving their great-granddaughter’s eyesight after an unfortunate accident.

Nott was impressed.

Daphne is almost properly blushing as she says something to the couple in Japanese, bowing. "Let me take you to Kyoto," she says to them, but her eyes linger on Nott. She doesn't ask what Tracey wants to know too – _are you staying? Are you leaving?_

They walk to the gate and Daphne grabs Lovegood first then Longbottom. There are a few moments when it's just Tracey and Nott.

"You better make her happy," she threatens.

Nott raises an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that. I know you don't think much of me, or anyone for that matter, but I've cared about Daphne long before you have. I know she'd give everything for her family and I know you must have reservations about that because I do too. You have to remind her that she deserves her own happiness too, that she can't sacrifice everything for her family. It doesn't do anyone any good."

"You're wrong."

Tracey snorts. "Of course I'm wrong. Everyone is always wrong."

"I don't have reservations about Daphne's loyalty and love for her family," Theodore continues as if he didn't hear her mumbling. "Why else would I learn a language that has vastly different grammatical structures and three different types of characters? Or drink tea that isn't English Breakfast?"

It's so strange (and wonderful), how much he respects her. Also, did he just make a _joke_?

Tracey shakes her head to clear her mind. "All I'm saying is, and I know you obviously didn't care for when Lovegood said this, but she had a point. Daphne will give and give until there's nothing left. I don't know what happened after the Battle, but I worry about her." Tracey shrugs. "That's all I'll say."

Nott stares at her with an intensity that makes Tracey want to look away, but she forces herself to meet his gaze. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Nott says, face blank.

Tracey does her best to keep a straight face. "You do that."

Daphne comes back and she smiles at the both of them. "So, whom am I taking next?"

"Tracey. I need to head back," Nott says.

Tracey blinks in surprise at the use of her first name.

" _Honto_?" Daphne asks.

" _Hai. Sugu ni o ai shimashou_."

" _Roku-gatsu daijōbu?_ "

" _Hai, daijōbu. Taiyō wa settei sa rete imasen - anata wa shitte imashita ka?_ "

" _Subarashī_."

" _Gomen'nasai. Wareware wa issho ni jikan ga nakatta._ "

" _Watashitachi wa sugu ni jikan ga arimasu. Ja ne,_ Theodore."

" _Watashi no aisuru._ "

Daphne turns _pink_. Tracey has never wished she knew Japanese until this moment. " _Anata was ono furēzu o dokode manabimashita ka_?"

" _Hon kara._ " And Nott actually _smiles_.

 __Tracey delicately clears her throat. "Maybe you can take me to Kyoto and you can have a few minutes alone?"

Daphne grins in amusement reaching out for Tracey's arm. Before they Disapparate, she catches Nott – Theodore – looking at Daphne with such fondness that Tracey loses her breath.

When she lands on her feet in the back of the tea shop, it takes her a few seconds to orient herself.

"I'll only be a few minutes," Daphne promises.

"Okay, you have to tell me what he said to you," Tracey demands.

Daphne leans close, even though Tracey can barely hear the bustling crowd beyond this room. "My beloved," she says.

"Oh."

"I'll be back." Daphne squeezes her arm once, lets go, and Disapparates.

Tracey thinks about how to write her article in the meantime. She leaves the room and finds Lovegood conversing with the shop owner, pointing to jars on the back shelves. Her Japanese is slow and clunky and she mixes English words, but the owner clearly appreciates her efforts.

Eventually, Daphne returns and Tracey doesn't know why she expected her to look anything other than put together, but she's still disappointed all the same.

"One day I better catch you having snogged him," Tracey mutters, recalling plenty of times in school when Daphne caught her.

Daphne laughs and says nothing. "Shall we eat? You must be hungry having missed lunch."

It's almost sad that Theodore isn't with them anymore, but Tracey gets to spend a little more time with Lovegood and Longbottom, who eventually insist on her calling them by their first names. 

"When do you expect the article to be up?" Longbottom – Neville – asks as he struggles with chopsticks. Daphne flags down a server and asks for something in Japanese. The server glances at Neville and nods, leaving them.

"Depends on how fast I write it and other factors. But I can keep you informed," Tracey says.

The server comes back and hands Neville a pair of chopsticks that are bound together. He smiles at her gratefully and thanks her in Japanese.

"I'm bloody awful," Neville says with a shake of his head, but at least he's able to pick up food.

"It just takes practice," Daphne says. "I don't think I can even use a fork anymore," she considers out loud.

Luna looks at Daphne with sharp eyes, then picks up her cup of sake and sips it.

They're only a little bit tipsy when Daphne takes Tracey to the inn she's supposed to be staying at. Tracey hugs Daphne goodbye.

"We'll grab lunch tomorrow. My grandparents will be in the city too, so you can meet them," Daphne says.

"I'd love to," Tracey says, insatiably curious about the people in Daphne's family who have pulled her away from England.

After saying goodbye to all of them, she orders a pot of tea to be brought to her room and she begins writing her article.

**

_It's difficult to describe Theodore Nott – those who have went to school with him know what I mean: he isolated himself so well it was almost as if he didn't belong to any House. He was brilliant, always one of the first to master a spell, but he was never egotistical; he clearly preferred to be left alone to his own devices._

_It's obvious that some things remained unchanged. He spoke eloquently and his face rarely gave way to emotions; he was very careful on how he presented himself._

_While he would not disclose where he currently lives, he did hint toward a return to England: "I have something in the works."_

_Irritatingly vague, but consider that a warning, Ministry._

__Tracey sighs and sits back in her chair. She wishes she could say that he has a heart, that he's careful about whom he shares it with, but she wants to protect that part of him for Daphne's sake.

She checks the clock hanging about her bed and is surprised to see it's almost one in the morning. She puts down her quill and resigns herself to continue in the morning.

**

Tracey has lunch with Daphne and her grandparents in the afternoon. They're as intimidating as she imagined they would be, but Daphne's grandfather at least faked an interest in her career in journalism.

It's obvious that Daphne's grandmother is a matriarch in every sense of the word.

At one point towards the end of the meal, Daphne's grandmother speaks in Japanese. Daphne looks to Tracey apologetically before responding in turn. Daphne's grandmother nods and turns to her husband to speak with him in Japanese.

"My grandparents have an engagement they need to get to, so they'll be leaving," Daphne explains.

"Oh, erm, _haji…mema..shite_?" Tracey ventures, wincing a little, but Daphne nods encouragingly.

Her grandmother smiles for the first time. " _Hajimemashite._ It's nice to meet my granddaughter's school friends. I hope you enjoy Kyoto."

" _Hajimemashite. Shitsurei shimasu_ ," Daphne's grandfather says when they both stand up and leave.

"What did that mean?" Tracey asks once they're out of earshot.

"Essentially, it means 'excuse me' in the context that they're leaving first," Daphne explains, slouching a little.

"They're…nice," Tracey says.

Daphne smiles. "You looked terrified. I don't blame you – they're…imposing."

"Well, it was nice to meet them, or at least put faces to names."

"So…do you want some dessert? Outside of this restaurant. It's very stuffy in here."

Tracey smiles and lets herself be led out by Daphne.

**

(Tracey _tries_ to ask Daphne about Theodore – "it's only fair since I bombarded you with too much information about Ben," Tracey insists – but she doesn't get much.

"Daphne, come on, you have to give me _something_. Have you _done it_ , at least? Remember – I went into details about how _awful_ my first time was."

Daphne shakes her head and looks intently at the menu of the sweet shop they're in. "Fine," she says, putting the menu down. "Yes, we have. And if you must know, it was…" she trails off.

"You're _killing_ me, Daphne Greengrass," Tracey sighs. "I'm going to assume it was terrible."

"It wasn't terrible. It was…surprising. Nice. I don't know – how do you describe something like that? It was…" she sighs again, frustrated. "There's a phrase in Japanese that doesn't really have an English equivalent, it's from Zen Buddhism: _ichi-go ichi-e_ , which means 'one time, one meeting,' but the heart of it is, treasure every encounter you have, because it'll never happen again. So, that's what it was. A one of a kind moment that I keep with me."

Tracey tries to smile, but she's having a hard time. "Wow," she says, hating how hearty her voice sounds.

Daphne smiles – half apologetic, half sheepish. "There's another phrase: _kyouka suigetsu_ , which means flower in the mirror; moon on water. Something that's there but can't be touched. Or, in my case, a feeling that I can't put into words."

Tracey is a writer – can find the words to describe everything, so she hates how she immediately identifies what she's feeling: jealousy. But there's happiness too – she's happy that Daphne has love.

"And, well, let's just say he has lovely hands," Daphne adds casually, which causes Tracey to burst out laughing.)

**

Before Daphne leaves Tracey at the inn, she hands Tracey a bit of parchment with a set of numbers.

"I have what Muggles call a _telephone_. It's much more efficient than owls, I think. Please call," Daphne explains. 

Tracey knows what a telephone is, but she's never used one before. She takes it and nods. "I will."

Daphne smiles and hugs Tracey. "Thank you."

" _Ieie_."

Daphne laughs and lets go. "You're learning!"

Tracey is trying, but she doesn't say that. Her heart pangs, watching her friend go, not knowing when she'll see her again, but Tracey hopes it's soon.

**

By the time she comes back to London the next day, her article is almost finished, mostly thanks to working through most of the night, unable to sleep. She's proud of it; she's sure she's captured the varying dimensions of these four people with different motivations coming together.

She's scheduled to meet with her boss the following day, so she takes the time to sleep and drink a _lot_ of tea because surprisingly, she and Theodore Nott have one thing in common beyond their caring about Daphne and that's the undisputable superiority of English Breakfast tea.

**

Fraser reads the article with a blank face. Tracey does her best not to fidget, keeping her hands behind her back as she waits.

"You were right," he finally says after a long time.

Tracey forces herself to wait a moment before responding. "About what?"

"Only you could've written this. You're checking your own biases just as the reader is. We feel what you feel."

Tracey wants to laugh and say _I told you so_ , but she holds herself in check.

"I'm surprised you didn't reference the rumors around Nott's parents, though."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why would Nott so vehemently hate his father? You know as well as I do there were rumors about what happened with his mother."

Of course. It was always there, hinted at for years, but no one dared to say anything. And Tracey knows that besides Neville and Potter, the only other person who saw Thestrals in that one class was –

"I only want to print what I see and the truth. That's pure speculation. Unless Nott wants to say something about it, I'm not about to bring back a horrific rumor for drama's sake."

Fraser holds up his hands in defeat, but it's more condescending than anything else.

But Tracey does believe it, that Theodore's father killed his mother. And if she thinks about it further, there's probably a darker reason as to why Theodore has stayed away from England, even with the deaths of the Dark Lord and his father.

But Tracey isn't thinking about that because it's not confirmed and she will only print facts. Readers can go to _Witch Weekly_ if they want to gossip and speculate – 

She gasps suddenly, remembering what Theodore had said: _I hated my father for over ten years. People can speculate as to why._

People can speculate.

Did he…give her permission?

"Davis?" Fraser questions.

Tracey swallows. "He…confirmed it. I think."

He pauses for a moment, then sits up straight in his chair. 

"He said…he hated his father for over ten years and 'people can speculate as to why.' I think he was…validating the rumors," Tracey explains slowly.

His eyes spark with triumph. "This is _so much more_ than I expected."

Tracey wets her bottom lip and looks out the window at the bustling city. 

"I'll add some comments and you'll add the death of his mum in here." He snorts. "Wow, it's just _truly_ remarkable, how deep the incompetency ran for how long. Nott Senior _murdered_ his _wife_ –"

"And Theodore saw it," Tracey says, crossing her arms. She clenches her hands into fists. She wants to be far away from her boss and his utter _glee_ on this awful revelation.

She can't look at him, but she can only imagine how hungry his expression is. "How do you figure?" he asks.

"He was one of the few people in a Care of Magical Creatures class who was able to see Thestrals in our fifth year." Tracey feels lightheaded. "And it would explain why he loathed his father so much."

She watches a mother struggle to walk with her children across the street. They're young and dragging their feet.

"Why does he want to come back, then? To the country that allowed his mother's murderer to go unpunished?"

Tracey scowls. "Did you not learn anything about Theodore Nott from my article?" she retorts, unable to hold her tongue. "This all started because he didn't want to be limited. Right now, he can't return to England. He wants to be able to do what he likes without people pestering him."

Fraser snorts. "Right. Well, come back to me tomorrow with the changes implemented. And get a quote on that class."

She takes her article and leaves without saying another word.

**

_I knew, after the initial shock wore off that Theodore Nott was in front of me for the first time in almost two years, that Nott wasn't going to be forthcoming with information that he deemed personal – he was, and still is, an extremely private person._

_But after delaying, he gave his answer as to why he didn't want to be a Death Eater: "I hated my father for over ten years. People can speculate as to why. I knew from a young age that I would never follow in his footsteps."_

_Some of you, dear readers, may know what he was referring to, but for those who don't, I will explain: there were rumours over ten years ago regarding the unusual circumstances of his mother, Nora Fawley's death in 1988, the darkest of which was that Theodore Nott, Sr. had murdered her after it became clear that she was not to bear any more children._

Tracey swallows over the lump in her throat and puts her quill down. She wants to confirm with Nott, just to make sure, that it's truly alright.

Figuring that speaking with Daphne is almost as good as, she scrounges through her notebook to find the number that she gave her prior to parting ways. She does a quick mental calculation and figures it's late enough in the morning in Kyoto to not wake anyone.

" _Moshi moshi_."

"Daphne?" Tracey ventures.

" _Oh, Tracey, hi, how's the article coming?_ "

Tracey smiles. Straight to the point. "I wanted to…make sure what I'm writing is alright."

" _You're a great writer – you shouldn't second guess yourself now that you're friendly with its subjects._ "

"No, I want to make sure the _content_ is alright to publish."

" _Okay…like what?_ " Daphne asks warily.

Tracey swallows, thinking of how to word it carefully. Who knows who is listening, although the wizarding world hasn't caught up with Muggle technology. "Like…old rumors. Confirming them. Bringing up that one class that would Longbottom was in."

" _Tracey,_ " Daphne sighs. " _Why do you think I was so insistent on him speaking about it? I sympathize with his desire for privacy, but he's going to need to, for lack of a better word, use what happened to get back home. It looks_ horrible _for the Ministry – the least they can do is let him back into the country._ "

Letting a murderer live freely with his eight-year-old child, who witnessed the crime? It looks beyond horrible – it's downright unforgivable.

"Okay, I just…wanted to make sure," Tracey says, feeling a little stupid.

" _It's sweet. I appreciate it. And I'm sure he will too. I'm looking forward to reading it – are you almost done?_ "

"Yeah, should be done by the end of the week. We'll see about getting it in next week."

" _It'll be great._ "

"I hope so. I'm just…tired, you know?"

" _I know._ "

They sit in silence on the phone for a little while.

" _I have to go, I'm afraid, but we'll speak soon. I'm working on potentially living on my own, but that'll require some more convincing. You can stay with me._ "

"Sounds great. Bye, Daphne."

" _Bye._ "

Tracey hangs up and picks up her quill and takes out another piece of parchment to write a quick letter to Neville, who thankfully returned to London and will be going back to Japan in a week, requesting a meeting first thing in the morning.

**

"I need a quote from you about that Care of Magical Creatures class in fifth year," Tracey says, immediately pulling out her writing materials before getting a chance to sit down in Rosa Lee Teabag.

"Wait – what class – oh, you mean – the –"

"Yes, that one," Tracey says. "I'm going to make the Ministry of Magic look like maggots."

"You know, they're trying to rebuild," Neville points out with a frown. "How is this productive?"

"In order to rebuild, they need to acknowledge _everything_ they did. And now, they're going to have to face the fact that they did _nothing_ to help an eight-year-old boy and they neglected a woman's wrongful death," she insists.

Neville looks unsure for a moment and Tracey wonders if maybe she should've held back, but she wants to be honest, she _needs_ to be honest about her intentions because transparency is important now more than ever.

"Myself, Harry, and Theodore were the only people in that class who claimed to have been able to see Thestrals. Theodore didn't share whose death he had seen, but…"

Tracey copies his words quickly. Once she catches up, she looks up at him. She catches the moment when he steels himself.

"But the way he spoke about his father reminded me of how I spoke – still speak about Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville continues. "You hate the people who destroy the ones you love."

Tracey impulsively hugs him before they say goodbye. "Thank you," she says.

He's flustered when she pulls back. "You're welcome," he says, bewildered.

She reaches into her bag and takes out an envelope. “Since you’re going back to Japan, do you think you could give this to Daphne? I developed a few copies of the pictures in the paper and some others.”

Neville takes it and fiddles with it between his hands. “I don’t suppose –”

Tracey reaches into her bag again, pulling out two more envelopes. “For you and Luna.”

Neville smiles brightly and Tracey returns it.

**

She rushes to her desk and finishes the article before lunch. She plops it in front of her boss with a smug smile.

He reads through it quickly and he looks up at her with respect. "What do you think, Davis? A Monday morning bomb to wake the people up?"

Tracey grins. "I love it."

**

"Hogwarts' Secret, Underground Army: An Exposé."

Pictures used: one of Daphne, Theodore, Neville, and Luna sitting at the table, waiting for tea and sweets to arrive; the four of them walking down a path surrounded by cherry blossoms; a shot of Neville and Luna laughing, a shot of Daphne and Theodore standing side by side, looking regal under a tree; Luna pointing at something in the pond and talking with Theodore listening intently; Daphne plucking cherry blossom petals from Neville's jumper; Luna and Daphne smiling at each other while Neville and Theodore roll their eyes.

There's also a picture used that Tracey did not take – that must've happened while she was asleep – of the four of them – including Theodore – all smiling. It's the only one in which Theodore is smiling and it's…disarming. It's small but it's almost sweet.

 _The Daily Prophet_ is delivered sometime between six and seven every morning. Tracey gets to her desk at five in the morning and hums as she herself a pot of tea.

She counts down to the release of the papers, leaning back in her chair. Three, two, one –

Boom.


	2. Natura Non Facit Saltus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nature Makes No Leaps

Neville

Neville Longbottom wished he received proper notice from Tracey Davis that she was publishing her article first thing on Monday morning, a good two days before his trip to Japan.

Otherwise, he could have prepared himself to Ginny tumbling through Gran's fireplace while he's enjoying his breakfast and tea in peace since Gran is visiting a school friend in France.

Ginny has soot on her nose when she gets up and stomps over to where Neville is sitting. "What the fuck is this?" Ginny demands, tossing a singed copy of _The Prophet_ onto the kitchen table. 

Neville likes the pictures Tracey had chosen for the front page – he thinks they almost look cool. 

"An interview?" Neville says, not sure what kind of answer she's expecting. 

"Neville, what the fuck - I was _busy_? You made me sound so…haughty!" she exclaims, taking a slice of toast and reaching to steal his knife.

"Hey, it was either that, or Luna's original quote that you didn't want to _fraternize_ with Slytherins," he argues.

Neville jumps again when someone else comes through the fireplace. "Merlin's fucking _pants_ ," he curses.

Harry stands up and dusts himself off, blinks in surprise. "Have you ever cursed before?" Harry questions.

"It's a bad habit – you wouldn't _believe_ how much Pomona uh, Sprout curses," Neville says.

(Of course, once he's comfortable calling a professor by their first name, Neville realizes how awkward it is talking about them with his peers.)

"Okay, we'll go back to your cursing being the greatest thing to happen this year," Ginny says to Neville before turning to look at Harry. "Would you say my not wanting to _fraternize_ with Slytherins is a bad thing?"

Harry shrugs. "Not really. I mean, the lot of them were awful."

This time, Neville doesn't jump out of his skin when two _more_ people come through his fireplace. 

Neville brings his teacup to his mouth and takes a drink as Ron and Hermione pull themselves together. He raises his eyebrows at them once they're done.

"We…figured you might need backup," Ron says, looking to Harry and then to Neville.

Harry is trying not to laugh. "It's fine. All civil here."

"We were just talking about how Slytherins are awful," Ginny says.

"No, _you_ were saying that –" Neville starts.

"Oh, great topic," Ron says eagerly, taking a seat at the table. "Mind if I have a spot of -?"

"Go ahead," Neville sighs.

"The point of the article was to highlight inter-house collaboration, something that Dumbledore wanted once Voldemort came back," Hermione says. "And in case you forgot, Slytherin _is_ part of Hogwarts."

"Chuck the lot of them," Ron grumbles.

"Since we barged in so rudely, I can make food and spot you later," Harry offers.

"By all means, you’d be doing me a favor. I'm leaving Wednesday and it would be great to clear everything out," Neville says.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asks.

"Back to Japan. I'm going to be interning under one of Pomona's colleagues."

Neville watches Harry prepare breakfast. He finds it incredibly interesting how Harry prefers to cook like a Muggle, so he watches in fascination; without magic, Neville would most likely have burned the house down by this point.

"No, what's _rude_ , Harry, is that I was even brought up at all in this article," Ginny huffs, finally sitting down after she's buttered her piece of toast.

"It would've been weird if you _weren't_. It was the three of us running the DA and you were conspicuously absent from this," Neville points out.

"I can't believe there was an _underground book lending system_ ," Hermione says with a pout. "I'm so _upset_ I wasn't there for that."

"Even if it was run by _Nott_?" Ron spits.

"Yeah, he's still friends with Malfoy," Harry offers, scrambling eggs on the stove top.

"He's not really friends with him. More of a loner," Neville says.

"Well, he's certainly laughed with him enough," Harry counters.

"Oh, but don't you know, Harry? He does what he has to do to be left _unbothered_ ," Ginny simpers.

Harry snorts.

Now Neville is annoyed. "Have you figured that maybe Theodore –"

Harry, Ron, and Ginny all make a commotion. "Oh, it's _Theodore_ now –" Ron exclaims.

" _Hey_ , in case you forgot, you lot weren't there," Neville snaps at Harry and Ron. "You don't have a _clue_ –"

"Hey," Ginny starts.

"No, I know what you did was necessary –" he quickly adds. "You're obviously heroes, but _Merlin_ , we didn't freeze in time while you were away. We went through things too."

Harry and Ginny share a look. Harry looks guilty for a moment, but Ginny gives him a warm smile.

"How about Harry finishes cooking and once everyone is eating, I can tell you about it," Neville offers.

"Fine, but I have to ask – are Luna and…Nott…well, you know…" Ron trails off, looking ill.

Neville bursts out laughing.

**

They go over the article together. Neville expands on certain things, like how he could trust Theodore Nott.

"Look, it's just – if you actually spend time with him, or actually have a conversation with him, he's just…besides you, Hermione, he probably respects professors the most."

Ron raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

"And…I know you find it _funny_ , but, when he says he wants to be _unbothered_ , he really wants to be able to…live in peace. Read, experiment, read some more. He's not exactly…social," Neville explains.

"Well, what about that Greengrass girl? I mean, her younger sister is dating Malfoy, which is gross," Ron asks.

"Astoria? Such a snot," Ginny scoffs.

Daphne never mentioned her sister, or at least, never shared her thoughts and feelings. There's loyalty, that he knows, but beyond that…

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't think Daphne cares for Astoria’s relationship with Malfoy," Neville says with a shrug.

"Well, shows she's got a brain at least," Ron says.

"Daphne Greengrass was one of the top students in our year, Ronald," Hermione points out with a roll of her eyes. "She's not an idiot by any means. Besides, she probably hates him because his family essentially got away with a lot of things while her family was stripped of almost everything."

"They were funding the cause, they deserved it," Ron argues.

"They were worried, most likely. They may be considered Purebloods, but they're not like the Weasleys or the Malfoys or the Lestranges. I can empathize with that fear," Hermione answers with a shrug.

Hermione touches her arm briefly and busies herself with clearing her plate.

Neville catches Ron reaching under the table to either touch her hand or knee, but either way, Hermione smiles at him. Neville looks down.

"Hold up, why did you laugh when I suggested Nott and Luna? I mean, come on, was it so crazy? He said that he _liked her mind_ or whatever," Ron says suddenly.

"Because he doesn't fancy Luna, and Luna doesn't fancy him," Neville says.

"That's so boring."

"Not everything needs romance," Neville says wryly.

The four of them have the decency to look sheepish.

Neville waits for them to ask about Daphne, but they never do. Maybe it was the lack of meaningful moments captured in the article. It's obvious that Theodore respects her – nothing would've happened without her – but it reads as superficial. He supposes that's the point.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, but at the time, this was the only way I thought to salvage it. You know Luna," Neville says with a helpless shrug.

Ginny exhales sharply. "Yeah, I know." She laughs. "Merlin, _Luna_ ," she adds with fondness.

Neville smiles. "Yes," he says, finishing his tea.

**

The thing is, Neville knew what he was getting into the moment that Tracey reached out to him. He knew that it would favor Daphne and Theodore, that it was meant to prove a point that Slytherins are so much more than Death Eaters and the likes of Draco Malfoy. He was fine with that, especially since he thinks Daphne is a kind, lovely person beyond her cool exterior and Theodore, well. He respects him enough.

(Although he wonders, sometimes, about them.)

**

He gets letters and he's sure to get more while he's away, about the article. But he chucks them all in his childhood bedroom without opening them and locks the door behind him when he leaves for the Ministry to head to Japan.

Neville is more than happy to leave it behind him.

**

Sara Kobayashi is timeless, Neville concludes. She's brilliant, charming, kind, firm. She's complicated. She reminds Neville of Daphne in a few ways, honestly, and after a few weeks of traveling through forests and different greenhouses, he's looking forward to seeing colors other than green.

So, once he's in Kyoto, he leaves word for Daphne to see if she's available during his last month in Japan. He even throws in a few words and phrases he's picked up while living in the country – he figures she'd appreciate the effort.

He started keeping a journal during his time here – it seemed easier to create his own index than to continually refer to multiple texts and scientific journals. He considers the possibility of publishing, or developing a series. Maybe he can travel with Luna in the future to places they both want to go, although he doesn't know if he's ready to be a third wheel, given that Rolf Scamander is almost always with her now.

Regardless of what he decides, he'll have to give credit to Daphne for her help with translating, primarily checking for punctuation and spelling errors.

He meets Daphne at a nice restaurant with no English on the menu. Daphne translates seamlessly for him, never letting him ask. She's extremely kind in her own reserved manner; he feels honored that she trusts him enough to show it.

She smiles and orders for the both of them, which the waitress doesn't react to, thankfully – Neville is constantly learning about Japan and how different England and Japan truly are. He doesn't know how Daphne balances them both so gracefully.

"So, are you looking forward to going home?" Daphne asks in English.

"Yeah, I am. I miss my friends. I also miss Pom – Professor Sprout," Neville stutters.

She smiles. "Hogwarts will be lucky to have you as a professor."

"That won't be for a while," he dismisses.

"I still stand by what I said."

He remembers what she said in the Ministry almost a year and a half ago, that Harry will always overshadow him, but not for her. Nobody else will ever say that to him, which is fine, he's more than okay with never having to deal with what Harry had gone through, what he continues to go through, but –

It's just nice, Neville supposes.

"How's work going?" he asks.

"Well. Always busy, always learning," she says, most likely giving a diplomatic answer. He knows people who work at St. Mungo's who are stressed, who struggle keeping social lives, but he guesses that's not an issue for Daphne – she has never mentioned being close with anyone in Japan.

"I've only gotten a taste of the differences between the plants we – England – uses compared to Japan, but I can only imagine how much there is to learn."

She gives him a more tired smile. "It can be exhausting keeping track. People here don't love when I use Latin-based magic, but some of it is hard to erase."

He furrows his brow. "Why do you need to erase it? You can't erase the fact that you grew up in England, that you went to Hogwarts."

"It's worth the effort," she half-jokes.

"You don't really mean that," he half-jokes back.

"For now I do."

He leaves it alone – he doesn't pretend to understand everything about Daphne; he doesn't assume to know how she may feel.

"I plan on being home for a while – being with my gran for a bit and then maybe traveling again. Luna's thinking about going to the Congo within the year," Neville says to change the conversation.

"I'd bring a hat."

Neville laughs a little. "Yeah, I will. I'll make sure Luna wears something that doesn't scream or look like an eyesore."

Daphne smiles wide enough for her eyes to crinkle.

They stick to safe topics of conversation, even when they order sake and his brain becomes fuzzy, so he's immensely grateful when the food arrives.

He wants to ask her about Theodore Nott, if she's really okay carrying the pain of being away from him – he has his suspicions after that interview a few months ago, but he won't presume. Besides, they're both so good at keeping their feelings to themselves that he second-guesses himself almost too much.

He just worries, sometimes.

(Is anyone worrying on Daphne's behalf?)

But after enough time, when they're leaving the restaurant, his defenses are down and he says, "I'm sorry," because he can't help himself.

"About what?" she questions.

He wants to say _nothing, I'm intoxicated_ , but instead he says, "I'm sorry you can't have what you want."

Daphne stops walking and stares at Neville, the neon lights reflecting off her face. "I'm fine," she insists.

Neville sighs. "Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but, you don't have to pretend. Or like, you can acknowledge you feel negative things."

"No, I cannot."

"Why?"

"Because if I do, I'll lose control of myself," Daphne says quietly, but obviously angry.

"One day it's going to happen."

"No, it won't. This can't last forever and there's no point to dwelling on something that'll be temporary."

"This isn't temporary, though, this is taking a long time."

"Patience."

Neville knows that both Theodore and Daphne like to present a certain way to the world, but he knows that they're still teenagers, that they're still capable of intense emotions. It's sad that she doesn't feel like she can express them – he hopes that she can with Theodore, at least, but if they're going to be apart for longer…

Daphne takes his hand. "I will be okay. _Daijoubu dayo_."

 _Everything will be alright_.

He hopes so, he really does.

**

(Before they part ways, he remembers the envelope of pictures that Tracey gave him. He hands them to Daphne and she goes through them with unmasked fondness. There's a picture of Theodore in there, standing alone with his eyes shut and she inhales sharply. He instinctively places a hand on her upper back, gently urging her to continue walking. She smiles at him gratefully.)

**

Ginny had explained about a month into his internship that the Harpies were traveling Japan in order to bond and watch Quidditch together, since Japan has some of the most talented players in history. Neville likes Quidditch fine, he just never thought to look beyond his own team and Great Britain's during the World Cup.

She wants to get dinner with Neville, but she also wants to get lunch with him _and_ Daphne.

Neville is hesitant when he sends the post to Daphne requesting to meet for lunch, apologizing for the ambush, but Daphne graciously agrees and reserves a restaurant that will have English on the menu.

Neville does his best to complete his order in Japanese and he thinks he does a decent job. The waiter at least praises his efforts. Ginny smiles apologetically and orders in English, adding _arigatou_ at the end of her order. Daphne orders rapid fire in Japanese.

The silence afterwards is a little awkward.

"So, are you off today?" Neville asks Daphne.

"Yes, just today. I'm trying to find a birthday gift for my _sof –_ my grandfather. Surprisingly difficult to please." She turns to Ginny. "Are you enjoying Kyoto?"

"Yeah, it's interesting – my team and I are following the Toyohashi Tengu Team, but so far my favorite was Tokyo – the lights are brilliant," Ginny says. "We're next heading to Shikoku."

"The beaches are lovely there."

"Also another reason why we're going there."

Daphne and Ginny smile at each other.

The lunch is a little stiff, but it's not the worst thing in the world. Ginny and Daphne don't have much in common, so there's a focus on him and on Daphne's recommendations of where to go and what to see around the country.

"It was nice to actually meet you," Ginny says once they've paid the bill and walked outside the restaurant.

"And do you approve?" Daphne inquires.

"Approve?"

"Yes, do you approve of me? Of my friendship with Neville?"

Ginny raises an eyebrow. "That wasn't what this was about."

 _Shit,_ Neville curses loudly in his head.

"Wasn't it, though? Or maybe more along the lines of trying to find out what it is about me that Neville liked."

"It's common to want to meet your friend's friends," Ginny quips.

"Right, well, that wasn't necessary for me. I already know you, Ginny Weasley. Youngest child of a pureblood family, excellent Quidditch player, incredibly smart. A sharp sense of humor. Fiercely loyal. I know why Neville likes you; I see it, I really do,” she says with genuine earnest, which throws Ginny off guard. Daphne’s eyes are sharp when she adds, “But I also know that you did not care to greet me or get to know me in any capacity during my last year at Hogwarts and I also know that you did not care to know me after school until I was featured on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_ with two of your dearest friends and you were only mentioned in passing."

Neville is almost afraid to look at Ginny, who is turning pink.

But Daphne isn't finished. "And what did you get out of this lunch? That I was cordial and helped carry a conversation despite the fact that we have nothing in common beyond the fact that we both care about Neville? With all due respect, Ginny, you don't know me, you never will, and it's quite alright that we will never be friends. I was always going to be amiable to you, whether or not we had a lunch."

Ginny narrows her eyes in contempt. "Still the snob I thought you always were."

"Okay! Let's just –" Neville starts.

"I thought you'd appreciate being direct," Daphne counters. "But I suppose you're still a brat."

"Alright now –"

" _Brat_? You don't know _fuck all_ about me and my life. You think you can just assume anything just because we passed each other in Hogwarts? Get over yourself. I've cared about Neville way before you and the rest of the world ever did," Ginny snaps.

"Ginny," Neville exclaims, embarrassed and annoyed.

 _Potter will always overshadow you, but know he doesn't for me_.

Daphne looks to Neville. "Yes, you did, Ginny. And it's my loss."

Ginny blinks in surprise, the fire in her eyes going out.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have errands to run. Do you need directions?"

"No, we'll be fine, thank you," Neville says, extremely upset.

Daphne smiles and leaves them, disappearing within the crowd.

Neville's hands curl into fists.

"She _totally_ started it, we could've had a _fine_ lunch –" Ginny starts.

"She wasn't _wrong_ though," Neville interrupts. "That's exactly what this was. You wanted to meet her and see what she was like, why we're friends…"

"Is that so wrong? I mean, _Merlin_ , Neville, her family _funded_ Voldemort."

"Her _parents_ gave money, Daphne did not, and yet she was _still_ charged and forced to pay restitution. Do you know what they did to Daphne when she came back to England? They _chained_ her after confiscating her wand and questioned her for _hours_."

"Oh, how _sad_ ," she spits. "My brother was _killed_ as a result. And Lupin, and Tonks, and Moody, or have you forgotten?"

He forces himself to breathe. "I know," he says, his voice cracking.

"I don't feel the need to differentiate between them all," she adds. "Malfoy, Greengrass, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott…they're all the same."

"Theodore's father killed his mother. You know that. _He saw it_ ," he almost pleads.

"Well he did a damn good job of hiding his shit, didn't he?" Ginny shuts her eyes and runs a hand through her hair. "Look, it is what it is. You can be friends with them, I don't care."

"Good, because I'm not asking for your permission," he says sharply.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I meant…we're just going to have to agree to disagree. On this."

Neville looks out into traffic. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and clenches his jaw. "You know how they're not all the same? Goyle, Malfoy…they all have the Dark Mark. Theodore and Daphne don't."

"They might as well."

Neville nods his head and says nothing.

"Look, I know you want me to change my mind, but I won't."

"I think you've made that clear. I, uh, I have to go. I'm supposed to be planting these flowers as the sun starts setting."

Ginny nods. "Okay. I'll…see you in England, probably."

"Sure."

Ginny starts to leave and Neville says to her retreating back, "I lost loved ones too, because of Voldemort. I have boxes full of wrappers under my bed." Tears spring to his eyes and he walks away before he can see her reaction, Apparating before she can have a chance to say something.

**

Neville is watering part of the greenhouse when Sara finds him.

"You seem troubled," Sara says.

Neville clenches his jaw and then sighs. His shoulders drop in defeat. "I fought with one of my best friends today. She doesn't like one of my friends and doesn't…respect it. My friendship with this other person."

"That is difficult."

"I mean, I get where she's coming from, but…I just think her way of thinking is so…black and white. Childish. But then I feel like a right prick because she lost her brother and we've lost a lot of people in this war, and…" Neville sighs. "I just want to move forward. I don't want to be stuck in the past."

"People grow at their own place. You can't force a flower to bloom any faster, it's the same for people," Sara says. "Nature makes no leaps."

He looks at her. She's smiling as she admires her creations. He feels a weight lift off his shoulders, like he doesn't have to carry the responsibility of his friends' healing.

**

The next day, close to sundown, Sara comes into the greenhouse to let him know he has a visitor.

He's surprised when Daphne walks in. She's wearing white robes and her hair is in a messy bun. She appears tired.

"Sorry to intrude," Daphne says. "I just got off work, excuse my appearance."

He looks down at his dirty, torn clothes. "I think you look fine."

She smiles. "I wanted to come by and apologize for yesterday. I shouldn't have started that argument. I took out my anger on her, which was inappropriate. I'd like to apologize to her in person, but if she's unable to meet, I'll write a letter."

Neville can't help himself: "You're one of the most honorable people I know."

Daphne raises her eyebrows in amusement.

He clears his throat. "I'm not sure what Ginny is doing, but I can find out."

She nods. "Just let me know. My schedule is normal this week – I get out of work at around this time."

"Alright. Would you like some tea before you go, or…?"

"I need to get home, I…had a trying day. But thank you. I'll speak to you soon," she says.

When Daphne leaves, Sara comes in and says, "She possesses a lot of grace for someone your age."

Neville nods, unable to respond.

**

Ginny comes by late. She's obviously been drinking, but she's genuine when she apologizes and funnily enough, asks to apologize to Daphne too.

Neville may have a little fun in tricking them both into meeting and laughs out loud when they both say _I'm sorry_ at the same time.

Daphne is unamused, but Ginny snorts and half-heartedly threatens to hit him with a Bat Bogey Hex when he least expects it.

"Can you just confirm one thing?" Ginny asks.

Daphne is wary, but nods for her to continue.

"Do you really hate Malfoy?"

Daphne glances at Neville, who smiles sheepishly. "Mum's the word," she says.

Ginny grins. "Right twat."

Daphne tries hard not to smile, but it's obvious she's amused. "I'm sure I'll see you again," she says. 

"Good luck with everything, Daphne."

Neville is much happier with this parting.

**

A week after returning, Neville receives an invitation to the Ministry and specific instructions to keep the matter to himself.

It's the only letter he opens when he comes home – he has hundreds waiting for him that he'll keep throwing into the fireplace throughout the rest of the year.

"You're so popular," Gran says in what's supposed to be a teasing manner, but she's obviously proud.

She has articles about him hanging around the house. She compares him to his father, to his mother, when she's drunk on mead. She misses her son so much, but she's happy she has Neville.

Neville just wishes his parents would remember something about him other than the fact that he's _important_ , somehow. 

(He read them articles, and at one point, when he mentioned Bellatrix Lestrange's death, he says Molly Prewett was responsible and he swears on his life that _something_ sparked in his parents' eyes. He swears it.)

**

On the specified day the Ministry requested, Neville enters a conference room and is surprised to see how many people are there: Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Hestia Jones, Professor McGonagall, Malfoy, Luna, and Daphne, and two Aurors.

If he knew this many people were invited, he would've come at least a half hour earlier.

"Uh, hello," Neville greets them, feeling awkward.

"Please have a seat, Neville. You're just in time," Kingsley says kindly.

Neville takes the open chair next to Luna at the end of the conference table. Luna smiles at him. Neville tries to wordlessly question _what the bloody hell is going on?_ But Luna only widens her smile before looking ahead.

"Alright, now that we're here – Hestia, would you mind?" Kingsley asks.

Hestia Jones raises her wand and Neville can faintly feel wards flying up, preventing anyone from coming in and keeping noise from leaking out.

"Now. I've invited you here because of a mutual friend of yours who has recently contacted us," Kingsley begins.

 _Nott_ , Neville concludes at once. 

"Mr. Nott has requested your involvement in the following negotiations because he doesn't trust the Ministry to fairly represent him," Kingsley continues. "We're scheduling a meeting in a neutral location. We're currently in talks with Stockholm."

Neville's eyes widen. 

"How did Theodore reach out?" Luna asks.

Neville chances a glance to Daphne, who has a neutral expression on her face, but her hands are clasped tightly in her lap, out of sight.

"He reached out to me," McGonagall said, taking out a small scroll of parchment. She slides it across the table to Daphne, who carefully picks it up. Her hands are still as she reads out loud, " _I'm ready to return to England. I'm in possession of something desired. Please accept this as an invitation to discuss terms._ "

Malfoy snorts. "And we don't know what this _something desired_ is?" he questions dryly.

"As you well know, Malfoy – Nott is nothing short of brilliant. He's also not one for lying or exaggeration," McGonagall quips. Neville hides his smile behind his hand. "We're willing to listen."

"Not all," Hestia Jones mutters.

"We don't know why he felt the need to disappear," Kingsley says, almost as if reminding her of a point he's made before. "Please expect word from me once a time and place has set up. And please, don't share this with anyone. We want the utmost discretion."

"Is that all? I'm afraid I need to go back to Kyoto," Daphne says coolly.

"Yes, that's all. Thank you for making the trip, Ms. Greengrass."

"Matsura," Daphne reminds him, getting to her feet. Neville can see her jerk forward a little, almost like she's about to bow, but turns her body and walks out. "Neville, I have a brief question about the potential healing properties of some plants you may be more familiar with," Daphne asks, taking his arm with a surprisingly tight grip. "Before I go."

"Yeah, of course," Neville says, bewildered.

"Shall I give Astoria your love?" Malfoy drawls.

"I can do that myself," Daphne says flatly.

Malfoy smirks and walks ahead, ignoring Neville.

Luna mutters a tripping hex on Malfoy, causing him to stumble and almost hit his head against the door. "It's very rude to not say farewell," Luna says airily.

Malfoy shoots Luna an ugly glare. "Until next time," he spits, storming out.

Neville grins at Luna. "We're going to need to tolerate him if we're going to help Nott get home," he reminds her.

"I know, that's why I insisted he use common courtesies," Luna says.

"I don't really get why he's involved," Neville admits.

"He's doing it on purpose. Malfoy is the face of a _reformed_ Slytherin and Death Eater to the public. He wants people to make that connection and extend the empathy," Daphne says quietly. "And Malfoy knows that."

"And he's going to go along with it?" Neville questions.

"Yes, because it'll make _himself_ look even better – convincing his peers to follow in his footsteps."

It makes sense, having it laid out for him, but Neville doesn't like that sort of underhanded means of thinking.

"I wonder what Theodore is going to barter as means of coming back," Neville thinks out loud.

"Theodore is clever, clever, clever," Luna says. "I'm sure it's very desirable."

Neville wonders if Daphne knows. Then he wonders why the hell he's even dwelling on it.

**

People stop him on the street. They thank him.

He considers reaching out to Harry, but figures what Harry is going through is so much more overwhelming. What does he have to say that's new? Or how are his discomforts comparable to Harry's?

**

That month he has another meeting request – Pomona and Professor McGonagall have invited him to Hogwarts.

It's his first time back at the castle.

Pomona is to the point when she says that she would like to retire within the next two or three years and that she would like Neville to work as an assistant professor during that time to fully train him. A schedule can be arranged if he were to travel, but ultimately, he would reside in Hogwarts and be there close to full-time.

Neville is overwhelmed and honored and nervous, but he accepts the offer. Pomona is thrilled, but has to leave McGonagall's office due to needing to go to Greenhouse Five to tend to plants for the next group of fourth years.

Neville wonders if he'll be dismissed – the meeting only took about a half hour in terms of the offer and logistics, but McGonagall is staring at him like she's contemplating on what to say, or how to say what she wants to say.

"I don't suppose you've begun to notice Pomona…being more distracted," McGonagall says, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Neville breathes so he doesn't laugh. Pomona is doing her best to hide the fact that she's in a relationship with someone – Neville is betting on her colleague Gizelle from Egypt who sends pastries and plants from the Nile. He hopes he can secure an internship with her before committing to working at Hogwarts. "I'll do my best so she can retire after a year."

McGonagall nods. "Very good." She moves parchment around on her desk. "In terms of Nott." Her mouth purses, serious.

"Yes?"

"It's best to be vigilant. The Ministry didn't care for Ms. Davis' article and they don't like someone fresh out of school outsmarting them."

"Nott lived with his mother's murderer for _years_. He could do a lot more damage if he wanted," he argues.

"Kingsley is fully aware. He's particularly upset about this."

He wants to counter that he seems to be upset about a lot of things, but keeps caving into to everyone's desire to continue the suffering.

McGonagall sighs. "I know, Neville."

He is _floored_ – she's never called him by his first name.

"It's just…” he starts. “People picking and choosing what to accept. Like, take me. I was…what I was, and now, people stop me on the streets, call me a hero, and it's absolutely bonkers. I'm still, deep down, the same person I was at eleven. But people have forgotten that, or just want to see this part of me that somehow managed to stand up to Voldemort without fainting. And with Malfoy – people are forgetting what a prat he was in school and it's just – why are we allowed to be acknowledged for growth and not other people?"

"Because what you and Malfoy did were tangible, obvious things," McGonagall answers easily. "It's not obvious to anyone who doesn't know Nott that he is who he is, primarily because he's hid himself from the very beginning."

"For good reason," he insists.

"I'd say give people time, but sometimes, time isn't enough." He thinks she wants to say something a bit nastier, but has refrained. "We'll have to see what happens over the course of these meetings."

He nods.

“I’d head over to Greenhouse Five. I think she could use some assistance from someone with significant height.”

He smiles at her and stands up. “Thank you - for the opportunity. I hope I won’t let you down.”

“I doubt that’ll be the case, Professor.”

Neville grins.

**

The meeting is scheduled at seven o'clock in the evening in Stockholm. There's only a one-hour time difference, so the hour isn't terrible, but Neville winces when he calculates that it would be two in the morning for Daphne.

A Portkey is made to transport them to a nondescript flat looking out to one of the many bridges in the city. 

The owner of the apartment is a man that takes Daphne aback for some strange reason, but she recovers quickly enough and shakes his hand. He gives her a knowing smile.

Malfoy looks around the flat with obvious distaste. "And why, exactly, are we meeting here and not at Sweden's Ministry?"

"Because as shared before, Mr. Malfoy, we want the upmost discretion. Mr. Grímsson has plenty of experience doing this for many governments," Kingsley explains patiently.

"Please, call me Ares. I come from simple folk – my father farmed, my sisters are seamstresses and my twin brother owns a pub! No need to be so formal."

Suddenly, Luna beams. It goes unnoticed.

"So how did you land such an important gig?" Malfoy asks derisively.

"I currently speak up to twenty languages and counting. _Allora, cosa ne pensate? De vaardigheid maakt me tamelijk bruikbaar. Ana last min yahtama, mais les enfants comme vous devraient être mis à votre place_," Ares rambles seamlessly, jumping from Italian, to Dutch to Arabic, to French. He turns to Daphne. " _Konbanwa, kono mīingu ga totemo osoi no wa zan'nendesu._ "

She gives him an amused, tired smile. " _Osoidesuga, watashi wa kini shimasen. Kore wa jūyō._ "

Malfoy sniffs and looks away.

"Now, would anyone like something to eat or drink? I have matcha, Ms. Greengrass, if you'd like," Ares offers, smiling like the exchange never happened.

"That would be appreciated, thank you."

They're sitting at a large round table. Daphne quickly drinks some of her tea.

"Did you just come off a shift?" Neville asks. 

"I had to cover for a coworker who got sick," Daphne says. "I'll be alright."

At seven o'clock on the dot, a bell rings.

"That should be the man of the hour!" Ares jokes, leaving to answer the door.

Nott walks in and quickly scans the room, taking the empty seat in between Daphne and Neville, which is closest to the door.

Nott looks around the table, his gaze landing on Daphne last. "I'll make this brief. There won't be any negotiations tonight."

"Why?" Hestia demands.

"Because one of my representatives is not at the level of functioning required. Maybe the next time you schedule a meeting, you should keep in mind that not everyone is in the same timezone," Nott says, piercing her with a gaze. 

"What a waste of time," Malfoy grumbles. "Thanks a lot, Daphne."

"Apologies for my exhaustion. I was involved in an intensive twelve-hour labor, saving the life of a mother and her child. That takes precedence over talks to bring back a former classmate to a country I wasn't even born in," Daphne responds icily, picking up her tea.

Neville's eyes widen in shock. That isn't the same Daphne that shared tea in Japan, who smiled at Nott like –

But _maybe that's the point_ , he realizes suddenly. Anything can be used against Nott, including the people he requested to be part of negotiating.

"This is what I have to offer," Nott starts, staring directly at Kingsley. "I've developed a means of preventing werewolf transformations."

"Bullshit," Hestia says at once, surprised by her own outburst.

Kingsley and McGonagall are flabbergasted.

"Not permanently. It needs to be consumed frequently and there needs to be a period of time in which the transformations occur, but I'm working to shrinking that period."

"How can you speak so confidently in regards to this?" McGonagall asks with fear in her eyes.

Nott stares at her and doesn't say anything.

For a stupid moment, Neville thinks that Nott is experiencing on _himself_ , but then realizes that's absolutely ridiculous. Did he find a volunteer? If so, _how_? Who would agree to such a risky thing?

"And you think we would want this," Kingsley concludes, but he's interested.

"It's one of the few ailments that's still disruptive even with the existence of the Wolfsbane Potion. It's not a cure, not yet, but it can be."

"And you think you can get there."

"Yes, but I need funding. Imagine England getting the glory of supporting a young inventor, developing a cure that's been evasive for hundreds of years. And, of course, there's a heavy monetary compensation for mass, international distribution of the patent."

Kingsley looks to McGonagall and Jones.

"Think it over," Nott offers, standing up. "Ares, may we schedule another meeting? Perhaps in the morning would be beneficial to everyone."

The next meeting ends up needing to be scheduled two months from then, due to scheduling conflicts. It's scheduled for nine o'clock in the morning in Stockholm, so it’s eight in the morning for England and four in the afternoon for Japan.

"Mr. Nott and his representatives may have the room for the following ten minutes. Goodbye, Mr. Shacklebolt, Headmistress McGonagall, Mrs. Jones, I wish you a safe trip back to England."

Jones looks murderous, but is led out by Kingsley. McGonagall gives Neville a kind smile. "I'll see you at Hogwarts?"

"On the twelfth, yes," Neville confirms.

Once they leave, Ares turns to look at them. "Ten minutes, and not a second longer." He then, too, leaves them.

"What a waste of fucking time, Nott," Malfoy says once the door is shut.

"It was four minds versus five, I wasn't about to start negotiations on unequal footing," Nott points out.

"Oh, please, you can cut the shit – we all know about you and Daphne."

"Leave us," Daphne snaps, the door bursting open, causing everyone but Nott to jump in surprise. "What's the matter, Malfoy? Maybe we were really _three_ versus five."

Malfoy mutters inaudibly under his breath, stomping out. Once he's past the threshold, the door shuts behind him.

Nott raises an eyebrow at Daphne.

"I may be exhausted, but I have some tricks up my sleeve," Daphne says.

"I'm sorry," Nott says with a small frown. Neville doesn’t know if he’s apologizing for her exhaustion or for insulting her earlier. Probably both.

"Don't be."

"So, what are you thinking, exactly? Would you be offering to work for the Ministry in finalizing the product? I'm assuming you're not going to give them everything at once," Luna asks, her sharp eyes remaining on the door.

"Essentially. The timeline can be negotiated."

"And England gets the credit and everyone is happy."

"I'm assuming they're going to want to interview you – they're curious about why you ran off."

"I was fearful of being forced to become a Death Eater and I didn't want to be near in case Potter lost. And once I found out they won, I feared retribution from the Dark Lord's supporters," Nott recites like he's reading a script, adding a shrug and a pout before smoothing his face.

Neville snorts. "Because that's believable."

"Not fearful. Dreaded, I suppose would be more accurate," Nott says.

"In character," Luna corrects, which makes Daphne smile.

"They'll want to ensure cooperation," Daphne says.

"They can't accept anything beyond my word. There's nothing in England for me," Nott points out.

"Not yet, anyway," she reminds him.

There's a hint of a coy smile on her face.

"Not yet," he agrees in a warm tone that Neville has never heard before. "But my point still stands for the near future."

"We'll handle it when the time comes," Luna says calmly. 

Neville swallows. "Ehm, Nott –"

"Yes?"

"Have you heard of endemic plants?"

"They're toxic, right? They induce vomiting."

“Do you have something to write on?”

Nott reaches into his robe and pulls out a notebook and quill. Neville quickly scribbles the names of as many plants as he can remember. 

"The second one listed – you burn it. The smoke clears out toxins, especially in the lungs." Neville leans in closer. "I don't know what's in this potion, but I can only imagine the amount of poison you're dealing with if it involves Wolfsbane. You can get yourself killed."

Nott stares at him. "I've been wearing a mask and ingesting the fourth plant you listed."

"That's not going to be enough if you're working with a lot of toxins. But it's good to know you're not a moron."

Nott, to Neville's surprise, raises an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth twitches. "Noted."

"Fair warning, you'll probably end up vomiting for a while the first time."

"Also noted." There's a brief pause. "I think you can call me Theodore. You are going out of your way to help me, after all."

"Uh, okay, sure."

"Thanks, Neville, Luna," Daphne says. "We really appreciate you both."

Luna smiles brightly. "Come on, Neville. They need a moment and we're not wanted. We'll be outside."

Neville wishes he didn't flush so easily. Daphne appears mildly mortified and Theodore actually _smiles_.

There's something about Theodore's fondness for Luna that makes Neville think that in another life, if Theodore didn't have such an awful upbringing, he could've been a lot softer.

Luna takes his hand and leads him out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Neville stares at the door. He can't hear anything.

"You're worried about them," Luna concludes.

"How can I not?" he asks. "I feel like someone's going to crack."

She hums thoughtfully. "Perhaps, perhaps not."

"I'm assuming you heard what happened in Kyoto with Ginny?"

"Daphne was correct in her assumption and she did have a right to feel the way she did."

"That didn't mean Daphne had to stoop to Ginny's level," he counters.

"No, but then again, shouldn't we stop holding Theodore and Daphne to a higher standard? They may want to hide their feelings from the world, but that doesn't mean they feel things any less than we do."

Neville pinches the bridge of his nose, unable to argue with her. It's true - he does see Theodore and Daphne as people lightyears ahead in maturity, although at least with Daphne she's shown him some vulnerability, some impatience and frustration. Theodore, well... Neville would probably pass out from shock if Theodore were to show extreme emotion.

"Do you want to go travel to Africa with me and Rolf in two weeks?" Luna offers offhandedly. "We'll be back in time for the next meeting."

"Yes," Neville says at once.

**

Luna and Rolf had planned to go along the western coast of the continent – beginning in Morocco and jumping to Cape Verde to Liberia to São Tomé and Príncipe to Angola to South Africa and finally to Saint Helena.

Their plan is to make multiple trips – the next time, they'll travel through landlocked countries, and the third, they will travel through countries bordering the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. 

Neville asks a few times if they're absolutely _sure_ they're okay with him going, but Luna is insistent until the fifth time he asks, to which Luna responds:

"Rolf and I are not having sexual relations. We're friends."

So, that's that.

But before he goes, he visits his parents in St. Mungo's. He tells them where he plans on going, even though there really is no point - it’s not like they’re cognizant.

His mum gifts him a berry flavored gum wrapper.

He puts in his pocket when Miriam knocks on the door and steps inside.

“Hi, Neville. Traveling again?” Miriam asks.

“Yeah - a few countries in Africa this time. I’m hoping to bring back a flower that releases different scents throughout the day, if that’s alright. I can submit the paperwork before I bring it.”

“I’m sure it will be fine, dear.”

Neville stands up to leave, but Miriam stops him with a gentle hand on his arm. “How close are you to a...Daphne Matsura?”

He blinks in surprise. “Ehm...we’re friends. But we don’t see each other very much since she’s in Japan. Why?”

Miriam is usually very warm and open, but now, her face is hard to read. “Please come with me.”

Concerned, he follows her down the corridor and into a cramped office with shelves of parchment so high that he can’t see where it ends. She searches through piles on her desk and pulls out a substantial folder to hand to him.

He opens it and flips through, immediately recognizing Daphne’s handwriting, even if he can’t read the kanji. There are quick sketches of the brain in between paragraphs.

“I don’t understand,” he says, trying to read some of the research, but he can’t make sense of the spell work that’s mostly in Japanese. 

He keeps going and eventually stops when he recognizes plants. Most are Japanese, some are from Malaysia and China and Iceland.

When it clicks, the tears come hot and fast and his throat closes.

“It’s going to take time on our part to approve this treatment,” Miriam says softly. “But...maybe...it won’t undo all the damage, that’s not possible, but...there may be a little hope.”

He claps a hand to his mouth to prevent himself from making noise.

She rubs his back and there are tears in her eyes too. 

“Can I make copies of some of the herbology related pages?” he asks.

She hesitates, but ultimately agrees. He wants to do his own research.

**

Once he leaves St. Mungo’s he goes straight to the _Daily Prophet_ office and thankfully, Tracey is there.

“Hey, Neville, how are you?” she asks. Her curly hair is wild and she’s out of breath.

“Good. How are you? I read your article about the increasing price of textbooks for Hogwarts being a strain on families. It was really good.” He’s bouncing a little on the balls of his feet.

Tracey smiles. “Thanks! Been wanting to write that for ages. Been really busy lately. What can I do for you?”

“Do you have a way of contacting Daphne? I know she wants to keep her grandparents’ home a secret, but...I’d appreciate it.” He tries not to sound desperate or crazy, but he probably fails.

Thankfully, she seems to not be scared by him. “I have a telephone number you could reach her with?” She rummages through her drawer to take out her purse. She takes out a piece of parchment and hands it to him.

By this point, he’s able to remember what the bloody hell a telephone is, so he duplicates the parchment and thanks her profusely.

“May I ask why?”

“I want to thank her for something.”

Something sparks in her eyes. “Anything I may want to know?”

“You’ll be the first to know, promise,” he says, meaning it. “I don’t s’pose you know where I can find a telephone?”

Tracey checks her watch. “I’ll take you. It’s only available for staff, but I’m sure my boss won’t mind.”

Her boss _does_ seem to mind, but Tracey is charming when she says she’s _investing_ in an _invaluable_ source. 

“You know, I’m right here,” Neville mutters under his breath.

“My boss is kind of a prick, sorry,” she murmurs. “Here we are.”

He opens a small room that’s barely bigger than a closet. There are six phones lined up. She points to the one on the far right. “That will make calls to Asia. I’ll just be outside.”

He remembers the simplicity of dialing the number and waiting for the person on the other end of the call to pick up. Muggles are truly amazing.

There seems to be a recording of Daphne speaking in Japanese, which makes Neville nervous. After a few sentences, the message switches to English: _Hello, you’ve reached Daphne. Sorry for missing your call, but please leave your name and contact information and I will return your call promptly. Thank you._

 __He swallows after the beep, wanting a moment to consider what he wants to say, but instead, he says, “Hi, Daphne, it’s Neville, I just...I was at St. Mungo’s and, well, I just...thank you. I can’t -” he cries a little, “I’m sorry, this is embarrassing, but I’m just overwhelmed and...well. Thank you. Next time you come to London, let me know and I’ll buy you lunch or tea or something. Ehm, yeah, bye. Thank you.” He hangs up, feeling like a moron.

He gives himself a few minutes to compose himself before stepping outside.

“Are you alright?” Tracey asks, concerned.

Neville smiles. “Yeah, I’m great.”

**

A few days later, on the day he leaves for Morocco, he receives a letter from Daphne.

 _I can’t take all the credit, a_ yuujin _helped with some plants._

 _As you will remember, we don’t say “you’re welcome” in Japan. Instead, I’ll say:_ kochirakoso arigatou gozaimasu _\- thank you, my friend._

_I look forward to seeing you the next time I’m in London._

_ Douzo ogenki de. _

_Keigu_ ,

_Daphne_

Neville doesn’t know what ‘ _youujin_ ’ means, so he looks it up in one of his translation books that he had put away weeks ago and discovers it’s a formal way of saying _friend_.

Well then. He supposes someday in the future, he’ll have to buy Theodore Nott a drink as well. He snorts and puts the book away. He has to finish packing and he’s definitely going to need a few hats if he plans on surviving the sun.

**

At one point during their trip, they’re sleeping on a deserted beach. Or at least, he was - he woke up at one point and has been staring at the full moon.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

Neville rolls his head and looks to Luna, who is looking up at the sky with wide eyes. On Luna’s other side, Rolf is sound asleep, his chest slowly rising and falling.

Neville really likes Rolf. He also greatly appreciates how silent he is while sleeping since they’ve been sharing rooms for the past two weeks.

“Yeah, it is.”

There’s a minute of peaceful silence.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asks.

Neville breathes in the salty air. “Daphne and Theodore have been collaborating on something that may or may not help my parents. I mean, even if nothing comes of it, it’s just...”

“That’s really lovely.”

“Yeah. It’s...I know they care. They just show it in a different way. I managed to thank Daphne, I just wish I could thank him, you know? But I’ll just have to wait.”

“I’ll see him again soon,” she offers.

Neville thinks about asking where Theodore is, but does it really matter? Besides, out of all the plants he managed to see in that research, he has a feeling that he’s somewhere north, isolated on a cliff or a mountain somewhere.

“Thank him for me,” he says simply. “And tell him a round’s on me when he’s finally home.”


	3. Nosce Te Ipsum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Know Thyself

Luna

Luna Lovegood loves traveling. While she enjoyed her time at Hogwarts – well, parts of it, not all – she wasn't very fond of people laughing at her and calling her names, if she were honest, but she grew used to it, so it doesn't outweigh the good, like her friends…anyway, she was happy to wander freely and not have to worry about classes and tests. She never liked homework or exams.

She likes when her friends join her, like Harry not long after the Battle. There wasn't a lot of talking, except on her end when she tested her theories and showed off her sketches to him at two in the morning when he couldn't sleep. The deserts of America were very hot and unforgiving, but healing.

Then there’s Ginny, who wanted to pretend for a while. They went to Australia and Ginny learned to _surf_ – a strange Muggle sport that looked fun enough. Ginny also got a lot of new freckles on her shoulders and the bridge of her nose. They're exactly like the Milky Way, but Ginny doesn't believe her.

Then there's Neville, who came with her through Eastern Europe – Romania, Poland, Russia – and they found plants and animals that remarkably live through the bitter cold.

And, there's Rolf. Rolf Scamander. He's tall and has dark, smooth skin that glows. Everyone she loves glows – her mum used to say that everyone was made of stardust, so it makes sense that the people whose souls she liked best are like beacons of light. Luna hasn't shared this with anyone – there are certain theories she likes to keep safe. 

Anyway, traveling. Rolf. They're traveling together again. He's been wanting to go to Iceland for a long time and she thought it would be nice to see Theodore. She's sure Theodore wouldn't want her to bring a stranger to his little house, but he should probably get used to being around people again.

"I'm going to visit a friend from school today," Luna says over breakfast in a small inn in Reykjavík.

Rolf slides his glasses up his nose, bringing his cup of tea to his mouth. "Alright."

She likes that he never looks at her funny.

"You may come if you'd like."

"That's kind."

"No, I'm curious to see you and him in the same room."

Rolf smiles. "Who is this friend? Is this the elusive Theodore?"

"Yes. He's out of practice conversing with people."

"We should change that, should we?"

"I think so."

**

Luna arrives to find Miss Gilly fretting by the front door.

"Oh! I know you! Miss Luna! You must help Master Theodore!" Miss Gilly cries before she realizes that Rolf is standing beside her.

"Miss Gilly, this is Rolf. Now, why must we help Theodore?"

"He's been sick for over a day! He has forbidden me to find help!"

"Let's see what we can do," Luna says serenely, walking through the door.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary when she walks in – it's like her first time here happened only hours ago and not almost two years. But then she spots Theodore sitting on the floor, dressed impeccably, with a cauldron between his knees. His face is pale and sickly and his eyes are at half-mast.

"Luna," he greets. "Apologies for not being able to greet you properly. Although I'm sure you can forgive my rudeness given that you've brought an unexpected guest," he says before promptly sticking his head into the cauldron and vomiting. It doesn't sound like there's anything left in his stomach.

Rolf grimaces.

"Miss Gilly says you've been sick for over a day – what are you doing?" Luna asks, walking over to him. She places the back of her hand on his forehead – a little warm, a little sweaty, but nothing concerning. She absentmindedly combs her fingers through his hair.

"Don't do that," he rasps, wincing, but not moving away.

They haven't put it into words, how she reminds him a little of his mother. She knows enough to know that's not something to talk about with another person in the room.

She drops her hand to her leg. "This is Rolf. I've mentioned that we travel together."

"Can I make tea?" Rolf offers rather gallantly.

"Help yourself – I haven't been able to keep anything down," Theodore says. He clenches his jaw and forces an exhale, fighting back the nausea.

"Is this because of the herbs Neville told you about?"

"I did a lot of work with questionable substances yesterday," Theodore confirms.

Luna wipes off some of the sweat beading at his temple. "You can stop now," she says.

"No, I've gotten it to a consecutive three months, I'm sure I can get it to four –"

"And you will. Once you're home." She takes her wand and cleans out the cauldron. "If you do any more, you'll put your life at risk."

Theodore nods noncommittally. 

Luna sends a glass towards her from the kitchen and fills it with water, handing it to Theodore. "Sip, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't be cheeky."

Theodore smiles a little and but does as she requests.

**

Rolf has a beautiful brain and concocts a potion that helps suppress nausea. "It's an old recipe," he explains as Theodore drinks it, wincing a little.

"Useful," Theodore says with a blink. "I don't suppose you'd share it with me?"

"Maybe. Luna seems to care about you and I like making her happy."

Theodore raises an eyebrow. "Right." He looks to her and she's rather surprised by the fondness in his eyes. He has wonderful eyes. It's a shame he feels the need to show nothing. 

Rolf looks at Theodore and Luna and smiles. "Probably," he amends.

**

Theodore brushes his teeth once he's sure he won't vomit again and he promptly passes out. He sleeps like a corpse – hands on either side of him, on his back. He breathes evenly, no snoring.

"So, Theodore Nott," Rolf says quietly.

"Yes, strange fellow, but I like him."

"He's fond of you."

Luna shakes her head. "His heart belongs to someone far, far away from here."

"Does it?"

"He learned a very difficult language for her."

"Chinese?"

"Japanese."

"Wow."

"It's lovely. Together they're lovely. I want them to be happy."

Rolf smiles at her in a way that makes her stomach twist into knots in a good way. A very good way.

"Would he mind terribly if we went through his collection?" he asks, nodding at the shelves of books.

"I don't think so. We should also try to make him something when he wakes up. He might like that."

"Really?"

"He hasn't had anyone take care of him in a long time."

**

Luna sits at the edge of Theodore's bed until he wakes up. Rolf is exploring the area, she assumes.

Theodore is panicked when his eyes fly open, but she places a hand on his chest. "It's Luna Lovegood."

He snorts and shuts his eyes. "Right." He opens his eyes again, more slowly this time. "Where's…Rolf, was it?"

"He's exploring outside. Then I'm assuming we will smoke to get high."

Theodore laughs a little in surprise. "Will you?"

"Yes. It can be fun." Pause. "Are you interested?"

"Maybe."

"It'll make you hungry. You haven’t eaten in days."

"That's what I was thinking." He looks up at her. "You were just in the neighborhood?" he ventures.

"Rolf has always wanted to come to Iceland and I wanted to see you."

"Really."

Luna smiles. "More than one person likes you, you know."

He laughs loudly, to her immense surprise and happiness.

"I love that smile," she tells him.

It fades a bit. "You're too honest, sometimes, you know that, right?"

"Yes, but I think it's better than lying. Or trying to be polite."

He sits up so their eyes can equally meet each other's. "If that's the case, then why me?" he asks.

A genuine question. There's a vulnerability, but a strength that he can handle the truth.

"I think your lying to people in your life was warranted."

He smiles, not quite revealing his teeth, but close enough. "You're…important. I hope you know that."

Luna is an easy crier. "Thank you."

People are usually scared when she cries, or they recoil, or they're awkward. Theodore, while he's strict with his politeness and miles of distance between people, seems to not recognize that it's not out of the ordinary to cry at the drop of a hat over a simple comment. Maybe he's exhausted – he has dark circles under his eyes – or maybe he understands her on a basic level that a lot of people don't.

Theodore looks to the kitchen. "I don't suppose you could make toast? I would try to stand, but I don't think I can hold myself up just yet."

Luna makes him toast and she catches him considering leaving his bed a few times. Thankfully, toast doesn't take long to make and she gives it to him plain, even though she knows he prefers butter and strawberry jam.

He nibbles on the toast. "It's preposterous that I find this the most delicious thing I've had in ages."

"It's certainly not my cooking skills. Rolf is a better cook than me."

"Is your relationship with him worth discussing?"

"No."

"Right." 

She smiles. "Would you like another piece?'

"Yes, please."

**

Rolf comes back as Theodore is eating his second piece of toast and is so very eager to talk about what he's found. "I may have to borrow some vials, if you don't mind. I'll repay you, of course," Rolf rambles.

"It's no trouble," Theodore starts to say when there's a knock on the door.

Luna stares at Theodore, who has frozen.

“Who’s that?” Luna asks, full of curiosity.

“Theodore, I’m coming in,” a woman calls out from the other side of the door, her voice muffled.

Luna looks to Theodore again, who now has a resigned expression on his face.  
“Come in,” he says.

The door immediately swings open, revealing a very thin woman with short grey hair, mostly hidden by a hat, carrying a small cauldron. Her face is full of lines, her eyes filled with grief.

“I –“ the woman starts, but freezes when she sees Luna and Rolf.

“Vee, this is Luna and Rolf. They’re visiting,” Theodore introduces.

The woman – Vee – opens her mouth then shuts it. Opens it again. “Oh,” she says. “Friends?” she tests out.

“Yes.”

“That smells lovely,” Rolf says, gesturing towards the cauldron, which is emitting a pleasant, savory smell.

Vee smiles nervously. “Thank you. It’s an old family recipe.”

“ _Vee_ ,” Luna says at once, remembering sneaking a few glances at Theodore’s paperwork regarding his potion during the last meeting held in Stockholm two weeks ago. It wasn’t _Vee_ , it’s _V_ , the letter _V_ to represent his volunteer in the potion’s consumption. Luna was naïve to assume that it was a hypothetical patient, that the detailed descriptions were just educated guesses.

“Theodore,” Luna sighs, bringing a hand to his shoulder. “You’re very lucky Neville isn’t here because he would try to hurt you.”''

Luna has been told by many people that she's an _honorary Gryffindor_ , that being around people from that House has made her more like a Gryffindor than a Ravenclaw. But Luna must disagree with that conclusion – see, Luna sees the reason in having a test subject. If they're willing; that goes without saying. But Luna knows without a doubt that some of her friends would find this abhorrent.

But she figures if the test subject is bringing food to the scientist, then, well. It must not be terrible.

Theodore looks up at Luna. "I suggest keeping it to yourself for now."

She sighs. She's primarily agreeing because she doesn't want to be responsible for explaining Theodore's thoughts. It'll no doubt be exhausting. "Alright."

He's quick to stand up and straighten his shirt. "V, would you like some tea?"

**

Luna urges Rolf out of the house so Theodore and V may have time alone.

"So…who is that?" Rolf asks.

"Best not explain yet, but they have a professional relationship."

Rolf raises his eyebrows. "She made him a lot of stew for someone who's just a colleague."

"He's a charmer."

Rolf grins. "Right."

He takes her to where he had been wandering earlier. They must lose track of time as they’re prone to do because Theodore comes to find them right when her stomach rumbles.

“How would you feel about a round in town?” Theodore offers.

He takes them to Abraxan’s Choice, which is a bit more polished than the Hog’s Head. The bartender is whom Luna expected him to be - Ares’ brother. “You very much look like your brother.”

Andres grins. “So I’ve been told. Definitely not as brilliant as he is.”

“How many languages to do you know? Ten?” Theodore questions with a hint of dryness.

“Technically if you count my basic ability to converse in Cantonese,” Andres confirms. “But you’re at a respectable three - at this point, you might as well keep going.”

Luna looks at Theodore with a gaping mouth. “ _Sugoi!_ ”

Andres grins at Theodore. “Finding out you have friends has truly been a blessing to my week.”

Theodore glowers at him. 

“You’re very bad at being a loner,” Andres adds.

“I brought someone out of the blue and you become friends at once,” Luna chimes in.

“To be fair, I think it was just politeness at first,” Rolf says.

Theodore smiles rather genuinely, so Luna is not only happy, she’s also convinced that he will make plenty of friends and never be able to hide away like this again once he’s in England.

**

They sit alongside a cliff – Látrabjarg, Theodore calls it – with Luna in between Theodore and Rolf as the sun begins to set. Rolf reaches into his coat pocket and takes out his small tin box.

" _Oooh_ ," Luna says, happy.

Rolf holds up his spliff that's not a spliff, as Rolf continues to remind her. She likes calling it that. After all, what's the point in wizards being so high and mighty about labeling something that will intoxicate you?

"Nothing but the best, I'm assuming?" Theodore guesses as Rolf lights the end.

"Of course," Rolf says, inhaling. "Concocted by Neville Longbottom."

Theodore's eyes light up in amusement as he takes the offered spliff from Rolf. "Cheers."

" _Kanpai_!" Luna exclaims.

Theodore hums, bringing his mouth to the spliff and inhaling slowly. He doesn't cough as he offers it to Luna. He holds his breath and slowly exhales.

"A natural," Rolf compliments.

"So, Rolf Scamander. You have large shoes to fill," Theodore says. He leans back on his hands and glances up at the sky.

"For everyone else, yes, but my family doesn't think that way. I don't feel pressure. I'm just doing what I love to do, which to my family, is everything."

Theodore's eyebrows are high. "Wow," he says.

"I'm very lucky," Rolf adds. "Although I could do without people trying to use me to get to my family."

"People can be very rude," Luna agrees after smoking. She gives it to Rolf.

"That they can. So, Nott, what exactly do you do? I mean, I see you like experimenting, but that can’t be what you do all day every day." Rolf takes a long pull and Luna admires his mouth when he exhales.

She takes the spliff from him and gives it to Theodore.

Theodore hums in thought. "I wake up, have tea, eat breakfast, depending on what I'm working on, I may do that for part of my day. Eat lunch. Go on a walk – sometimes with a purpose, sometimes not. Eat dinner. Study Japanese until I go to sleep. Every once in a while, I'll go into town."

Theodore inhales quicker for longer.

"Wow," Rolf says, obviously bewildered.

"It's nice to do what I like to do after a long time of fulfilling obligations and hiding what I liked," Theodore explains. "Admittedly it's not perfect, but it's alright for now."

Luna beams. "You miss people."

"I miss _some_ people. It's a very selective number."

"He can count them on one hand," she tells Rolf.

Theodore grins for a moment and brings the spliff to his mouth again. She plucks it from his fingers before he can take another hit.

"Slow," she reprimands him.

He scrunches his face in such a childish way that she squeals in delight.

They sit outside for a while, admiring the views, the setting sun. Luna loves today.

**

Theodore lets them sleep in his little home after they consume a lot of food. He offers her his bed and conjures two cots, which Luna appreciates.

Although she falls asleep quickly, she wakes up two hours later on her stomach to find Theodore staring at the ceiling.

“What’s wrong?” she asks softly.

The moonlight is dim, but she can see him clench his jaw. 

“We can leave, if -”

“It’s not...that. I trust you.”

“Okay...is it Daphne?”

She assumes his silence is an affirmative answer.

“Neville wanted me to tell you ‘thank you,’ for what you’ve done - what you and Daphne have done.”

He rolls his head to look at her. “It was mostly her.”

“She couldn’t have acquired a good number of those ingredients without you.”

“Yes, well, she’s going to have to claim sole credit. The sooner it can happen, the better. My known involvement would just slow it down unnecessarily.”

She draws the few kanji she knows on her blanket, like love.

“Do you know where you’re going?” he asks her.

“Yes, we have a plan thanks to Rolf.”

He nods.

She doesn’t bother inviting him because she knows he’ll decline. “Goodnight, Theodore.”

“Goodnight.”

**

They parts ways in the morning after Theodore feeds Luna and Rolf: oatmeal, some yogurt, toast, and _cod-liver oil_ , which is taken like a shot of Firewhisky.

“Smart - lack of sun, needing health benefits,” Rolf explains before grimacing and throwing it back. “Not my favorite thing in the world, but I’ve had worse, like this meal I had in the Philippines, it was basically this half-developed duck egg.” He shudders.

That must’ve been a long time ago since now Rolf refuses to eat any animal.

Theodore grimaces and puts down his spoon.

“I personally didn’t care for the tuna eyeballs in Japan,” Luna says.

“Merlin,” Theodore sighs, standing up and taking his bowl with him. “Gilly, I don’t suppose you’d like some _hafragrautur_?”

“No thank you, Master Theodore, but if I may, there’s someone I know who would.”

Theodore wordlessly hands the bowl to her. “Much appreciated!” she says. She disappears with a _pop_.

“I’m sorry, I have to ask, as an advocate for house-elf rights...why do you need one? You’re able-bodied, capable of doing things on your own...” Rolf questions, trailing off expectantly.

“That is a rude question to ask,” Luna says.

Theodore grins for a brief moment at her before putting his hands into his pockets. “I needed someone to complete errands here while I was still at Hogwarts. I wanted everything to be set up by the time I left.”

“Okay…”

“I would have let her go, but I was afraid if I did, someone would do something to her to find me. Plus, she saw my letting her go as a failure on her part. So, I’ve kept her. We have an agreement. She does some work for me and then she goes off and does what she likes to do.”

“Do you pay her?”

“She doesn’t accept money.”

Rolf narrows his eyes. 

“You may ask her yourself, if you’d like. If she changed her mind since last month, please let me know. However, I may warn you, she’ll find the question incredibly rude from you, if she finds it rude coming from me.”

Rolf smiles. “Okay, then.”

Theodore glances at Luna and tries not to smile.

“Yes, I recognize the irony,” she tells him.

Theodore flashes a grin again and hides it behind his hand.

Luna reaches across the table and tries to grip his hand over his mouth. “Show your pretty smile.”

He raises an eyebrow and drops his hand, his mouth now twisted into a mild smirk.

“It’s time to leave, Rolf. Theodore is becoming incorrigible,” Luna says with fondness.

In reality, they do need to go. They have plans and she doesn’t want to overstay her welcome - it’ll take time for Theodore to get used to being around people for an extended period of time (besides, Daphne, of course, but does it really count when it’s your soulmate? Probably not). 

He gives them snacks and pumpkin juice for their day and wishes them well.

When she hugs him, he returns it fiercely, which surprises her. "I'll see you soon," she promises.

She feels his chest expand against hers as he breathes. "Yes," he says, pulling back. She’s disappointed that his face is neutral.

He shakes Rolf’s hand. “I hope to see you again soon,” Rolf says.

“Likewise.”

Luna smiles. “I love my friends becoming friends.”

She really does.

**

Luna and Rolf spend close to a week traveling around Iceland. On the day she comes back to England, ready to rest in her nice, comfortable bed with a cup of tea, Harry visits her. It's obviously not planned, which usually means Harry is not in a good place mentally.

He's just showered – his hair is wet and so is his collar and he has a freshly healed cut on the side of his neck. His eyes are hollow.

She was in the middle of making tea, so she finishes doing that and pours him a cup. He drinks it, but doesn't react to the taste, so he must be in a very bad place.

She puts down her cup. "How do you feel about Sicily?"

He looks up at her and nods.

Off they go.

**

“I’m sorry, I know you just got back -”

“It’s fine,” Luna lies, pretending she doesn’t see Harry wipe his eyes dry. She does it just for him.

**

Harry isn’t recognized here. They’re only notable for being not from here, but Luna knows enough of this particular Italian dialect to get by. They eat _arancini_ as big as their fists and walk through cobblestone streets. It feels like they’re traveling to another time untouched by Voldemort and his evil followers.

She doesn’t ask about his missions because it upsets both of them. Ginny is traveling with her Quidditch team again, so Luna doesn’t ask about her.

They’re on a field and she can smell the sea. They’re lying side by side and Luna is considering on taking a nap, even though she can feel her cheeks and nose burning.

"So…Nott…" Harry starts. It’s the first thing he’s said in hours.

"Yes?"

"Tell me about him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…what's he really like?"

Luna shuts her eyes. "He's quiet for the most part. He listens to what you have to say and remembers. He likes to keep to himself."

"Right, he likes to be _unbothered_."

"Sounds like someone else I know," she says, opening her eyes to pointedly look at him.

Harry breathes. "I s'pose," he allows. "And he never wanted to be a Death Eater?"

"Never. I'm sure he probably considered it as a means of survival, but in the end, he realized he wouldn't be living a life he'd want to live."

He looks at her. "He killed his father, didn't he. That's why he ran off."

"What makes you come to that conclusion?" she asks.

"Because…I reckon that it would be almost the same as me living with Pettigrew and growing up knowing he betrayed my parents and got them killed. Years of keeping that to yourself, playing dumb…I don't know. I could understand," he admits. “Still think he’s a prick,” he’s quick to add.

“I think you’ll find he’s not the same as he was in school.” She pauses. “Actually, many of us aren’t.”

“You’re still the same to me,” he says.

“I don’t feel it.”

Harry’s eyes are wide and sad behind his spectacles. He has pretty eyes. “I guess we never really asked you about how it was in the Malfoy Manor.”

“It wasn’t the time spent inside. It was how I got there,” she tells him. “And how I got out.”

Harry clenches his jaw and looks back at the sky, immediately shutting his eyes. “I feel so much guilt over Dobby.”

“Don’t. He died a free elf, which is all he ever wanted. You gave him freedom. It was priceless to him.” She sighs. “I do feel sad, though.”

“Yeah.”

A tear escapes the corner of his eye and falls into his hair by his ear. He probably needs a haircut. 

“But the experience wasn’t pleasant,” she adds.

He snorts. “Not that I’m one to preach about following the rules, even though I’m training to be an Auror -”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take a wild guess and figure you know where Nott is. He’s still a wanted person.”

Luna shrugs noncommittally.

“Just, be careful? The Ministry doesn’t like him, from what I’m hearing.”

“You mean they don’t like any of us,” she corrects him.

“Not really into us kids being smarter,” he says sardonically. “We may be smarter, but they have the resources to more than make up for it.”

She exhales. “Theodore is a very cautious person.”

“He is, but Luna, I mean...you’re…”

“I’m not, yes. That’s true, but it would be their mistake if they think they can get his location out of me,” she interrupts him.

It’s quiet for a minute.

“I guess I’ll have to properly meet him one day,” Harry says.

Luna grins.

**

The next meeting was to be scheduled for November, but it’s pushed to January after an incident that occurred with former Death Eaters in Sheffield. Luna is disappointed - she had hoped maybe Theodore could be home in time for Christmas. She wants him to meet her dad.

But her dad is in New Zealand and has found something amazing, so he says, so he will be there in the sun and heat while she is alone. Well, the lone Lovegood in England - Rolf has invited her over for the holidays. She learns Jewish traditions, which are lovely.

Since Christmas Eve isn’t considered very important in the Scamander household, Rolf and Luna take a walk around Hyde Park an hour before midnight. It’s peaceful.

Well, until there’s a loud crack and to Luna's surprise, Daphne is standing beside her, shaking in a very fine dress and no cloak. It takes her a few moments to gather her senses and meet Luna's inquiring gaze.

"Luna," Daphne exhales in surprise. "I was off," she adds, more to herself.

Luna notices tear stains on Daphne's face. "What's wrong?"

Rolf immediately starts taking off his cloak, draping it onto Daphne’s frame.

Daphne immediately wipes her cheeks with efficient hands. "Malfoy all but proposed to my sister," she states matter-of-factly.

Luna frowns. "That's unfortunate."

Daphne laughs bitterly. "Yes, that's one way of putting it."

Rolf briefly touches Luna's elbow. "I'm going to head home. Happy Christmas, Luna." He looks to Daphne. “I hope you feel better.”

Luna leans forward and kisses Rolf's cheek, which is cold and smooth. She smiles at him, unable to find words, but also doesn't feel the need to repeat words already said. Rolf smiles and then Disapparates.

Luna looks back at Daphne, who is staring at the space where Rolf occupied. There's mild envy that morphs to grief.

"I don't know why I'm here. I should've made it to my family's flat," Daphne says, bringing Rolf’s cloak closer to her.

Luna reaches out, hovering over Daphne's shoulder. Her body is radiating magic and hurt. "Perhaps you didn't really want to go there."

Daphne crosses her arms over her chest. "No. But I can't Apparate to where I want to go, so."

Luna's hand briefly connects with Daphne's shoulder and tries not to wince at the sharpness of Daphne's magic against her nerves. 

"Sorry," Daphne says, shrugging her shoulder out of Luna's hold. "I'm trying to manage it."

Luna thinks at one point, Daphne won't be able to – she's been going for so long that it's only a matter of time.

Luna reaches inside her coat. It takes her a few tries to figure out which pocket to check, but eventually she finds the Portkey and gives it to Daphne. "It'll take you where you want to go. I saved it for this reason."

"What? My being upset about my sister's shoddy relationship with an arsehole?" Daphne questions, not reaching out to take it. 

"No. An emergency," Luna corrects.

Daphne stares at her hand. "This isn't an emergency."

"Yes, it is. Please."

Daphne raises her gaze to Luna, desperation clear on her face. "I don't want to be that person," she admits quietly.

"Everyone in the entire world is that person at one point or another," Luna says. "Besides, there's something so, so sad about the holidays when you're not with the people you love."

Daphne smiles sadly. "I have to go."

Luna frowns.

"But, I'm hoping if you don't have plans on Boxing Day, if I could meet you here again. My family does nothing on that day and won't be surprised if one of my English friends had invited me for a dinner party," Daphne continues with a sly smile.

"That's fine. I don't plan on doing anything."

"In that case, would you like to grab lunch?"

"I have plans with Rolf, but I'll ask if it's okay if you join."

Daphne shakes her head and laughs. "Alright. That's fine."

"Would you like company on your walk?"

"If you'd like. Sorry I ruined your evening."

"It's fine, I suppose. Although your arrival and his departure did make me realize something potentially important."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I think I wouldn't mind snogging him."

Daphne laughs in surprise. "Oh, _really_."

"It could be the spirit of the holidays. We'll just have to see."

Daphne doesn't live far, but they walk slowly because the snow is beginning to stick to the ground and Daphne is wearing ridiculously high shoes. Luna keeps that to herself though – she knows that's extremely rude comment.

Once they reach a street corner, Daphne stops and says, "Thank you, Luna, I…truly appreciate you."

Luna reaches out with a finger and touches Daphne's cheek where a small dimple shows when she smiles. "You're lovely."

Luna leaves Daphne alone. She figures Daphne would like to keep where she lives somewhat of a secret. She was supposed to go back to Rolf’s house, but decides to come home instead.

Or, well. Her new home. It's not the same as her old one. She and her dad tried to rebuild it so it’s almost the same, but some things cannot be replicated. Sometimes it's very sad, sometimes it can be good.

Like now, she has _eight_ friends on her ceiling instead of five. Well, almost eight. She's still working on Rolf. In fact, why doesn't she do that right now and listen to some records and eat some Christmas sweets…

**

On Christmas morning, she wakes up with half her hair dipped in paint and her arm feeling numb, but when she looks at her ceiling, they're all smiling down at her, even Daphne and Theodore, but the one face she stares at the longest is Rolf's.

**

On Boxing Day, she meets Daphne as the sun is rising in Hyde Park. Luna just had a feeling this would be the time to meet. Daphne's eyes are a little puffy, but her smile is large when Luna gives her the Portkey.

"I'll meet you the same time tomorrow morning," Daphne promises.

Luna nods as she reaches into her coat pocket. "I made Christmas cards. This is for you, and this for Theodore."

"That's kind of you, thank you."

“Give him my love.”

Daphne takes Luna by surprise by hugging her. This time, Luna just feels peace radiating off her.

**

Two weeks before the next meeting, Luna, Neville, and Rolf are walking through Diagon Alley to return some gifts Neville and Rolf had been given. They bump into Tracey, which is a nice surprise, actually.

“I don’t suppose your dad might’ve changed his mind about speaking with _The Prophet_ yet?”

“And help you sell more copies? I think not,” Luna says.

“Couldn’t hurt to ask.”

“I’ll let him know that you’re okay to talk to.”

Tracey smiles brightly. “So, did you guys have lunch yet? I’m bloody starving and plan on taking a long lunch to make up for eating at my desk for weeks.”

So Luna, Neville, Rolf, and Tracey squeeze through the bustling crowd. Rolf continues to try to show her the plants that he and his parents found in the tundra of Greenland, skillfully illustrated in his notebook. She's jolted from her concentration when someone slams into her. Thankfully, Rolf is quick and steadies her against his body.

"An ‘excuse me’ would suffice," Rolf is quick to say as all four of them turn around.

Luna isn't very happy to stare at Astoria Greengrass and Malfoy.

"You were in my way – seems Lovegood is still incapable of paying attention to anything," Malfoy quips. “Hi, Davis. How are things?”

Tracey’s face is neutral. “Fine, thanks. And yourself?”

“Can’t complain.”

“And Astoria?”

“I’m doing very well, thanks,” Astoria says to Tracey.

Luna ignores Malfoy and looks to Astoria, who has her arm looped with his. She's very pretty, but there's something very self-centered about her that makes her ugly. "Ninety-six days," Luna tells Astoria.

Astoria is caught off-guard. "I beg your pardon?"

"That is how many days I was imprisoned in Malfoy Manor." She looks to Malfoy. "I hope every time you go down there, you remember."

“Luna,” Tracey says quietly.

"Shut up," Malfoy demands in a low voice.

"I hope you think of Dobby, who was braver than you in every moment he lived."

"I'm warning you –"

But Luna continues, her voice remaining soft. "I hope you carry guilt and sorrow within you for what you did because I don't very much fancy a world where you are allowed redemption and better people aren't."

Malfoy steps closer and whispers, "If you're referring to Nott, he's done _worse_."

Luna presses her forehead against his, which takes him by surprise. "Dumbledore's death was a greater loss to this world than Theodore's father," she whispers. "But you know that already." She reaches out and grabs him by the cloak, keeping a tight grip so he won’t leave. Her voice is only audible to him. “I also know it was you who leaked the story about my dad, you foul -”

"Alright, _enough_ ," Rolf says, putting his hands in between them and forcing them to separate.

(That’s the primary reason why she hates him. Her dad is a kind person who loves her the most. He was desperate, betraying Harry and Ron and Hermione - they’ve forgiven him, yet the rest of the world can’t.)

Astoria pulls Malfoy back and glares at Luna. "Get out of our way, Lovegood. Just because my sister tolerates you doesn't mean we do," Astoria snaps. Malfoy wraps an arm around her waist. 

(All Luna can think about is Christmas Eve, Daphne wrapping her arms around herself.)

Astoria then looks to Tracey. “What? Suddenly you’re friends with _them_?”

Tracey stares at her coolly and says nothing.

Luna focuses on Astoria, who doesn't seem to like that. She considers warning her, that if she continues to take, soon there will be nothing left, that Daphne will see Astoria for what she is and will finally let her stumble and fall.

But Luna decides not to because sometimes, people just have to realize things for themselves.

"We have things to do," she says. "Goodbye."

Rolf wraps an arm around Luna's waist as they walk away. Malfoy and Astoria are stunned – Luna hopes they'll grow proper hearts.

It surprises Luna how angry Neville and Tracey are.

“You know that doesn’t hurt them, right? It hurts _Daphne_ ,” Tracey snaps.

“Who cares what they think? They’re horrible people,” Luna argues.

“It doesn’t fucking matter,” Neville says. “What matters is that when they get back home, _Daphne_ is the one who will be punished for going against her family.”

“I’m as knowledgeable as I can be and I respect her culture, Neville Longbottom, so don’t you dare insinuate that. These people are _bad_ ,” Luna insists. “And you know it. Family or not.”

“That doesn’t matter. Family is family,” Tracey insists. “Family is family.”

**

Luna is sitting in Hyde Park the next day when Daphne comes over and sits on the same bench, a substantial distance away.

“This has been extremely difficult for me, as you can imagine. I don’t appreciate you making it worse,” Daphne says quietly.

“Do you remember what I said? Back in April when Tracey Davis interviewed us for the _Daily Prophet_?” Luna asks.

“You said, ‘one day your loyalty to your family will cost you more than you're willing to give,’” Daphne recites.

“Are you there yet?”

“I don’t _want_ to get to that point. I love my family, I have always honored them, I have _always_ put them first.” Daphne clenches her jaw, fighting back tears. “Do you want me to disappoint my family?” Daphne demands more than questions, her voice breaking.

“You deserve to be happy too. Why does your sister get everything she desires and you get nothing? Life does not work like that. Compromise is necessary.”

“There is no _compromising_. Malfoy, as much as I loathe him, is beneficial for my family here. This is the primary reason why my grandparents aren’t here demanding they stop their relationship. This is why my parents are not opposed to her marrying young. The Malfoy name is valuable.”

“I had hoped we’d move on from names having value.”

“Well, we’re not there yet, _Loony Lovegood_.”

Luna frowns at her, but understands her point. “I’m sorry,” Luna says.

Daphne tries to smile. “I never thought Luna Lovegood would have a rather dark side to her.”

“Feelings, you mean.”

“Touché. Sorry.”

“I’m used to it, sadly.”

“You know, a long while ago, I thought I had to be jealous of you. Of your relationship with Theodore.”

“People have asked me if I’m in love with him,” Luna admits. It’s true, since Tracey’s article was released, people have asked simply because of the way he spoke about her, and the pictures. She knows part of it was on purpose on Theodore’s end, to distract from the truth, but -

Luna waits for a follow up, or a conclusion to her statement, but Luna supposes that was it, a confession.

“I’m sorry for calling you Loony. That was awful of me,” Daphne says.

Luna smiles. “Yes.”

“I never called you that before, for the record. Terribly juvenile.”

“It was, but that’s why it stuck so well.” She looks to Daphne, who appears contrite. “Your friend, Tracey Davis, she’s… a full-time staff writer at _The Prophet_?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I was thinking perhaps she’d be interested in interviewing my dad as a freelance writer for _The Quibbler_.”

“Why doesn’t he just write ‘a letter from the editor’ type of thing?” Daphne questions.

“Because I think speaking with another person will allow more honesty to be shared.” Luna exhales shakily. “To be honest, Daphne, my dad was never treated with respect or kindness. And how...how he was willing to give Harry to Death Eaters in exchange for my return, well. Let’s just say despite Harry’s understanding, people don’t like him very much.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to ask her if that’s possible. I have no idea, honestly.”

Daphne slides closer to Luna. 

It takes Luna a moment to realize she’s crying.

Daphne reaches over and touches Luna’s hand and doesn’t say anything.

**

The following day, Luna receives word from Tracey Davis to come to the _Daily Prophet_ office. Before she goes, she takes a detour that makes her arrive fifteen minutes late.

Luna arrives in her best frock and most special earrings, which seems to surprise Tracey. 

“It’s like you’ve never met me before,” Luna says, which makes Tracey laughs so hard that tears spill from her eyes.

Her boss is a stern, no nonsense man; Luna can tell when she first walks into his office. He doesn’t even react to her nice earrings.

“So, _The Quibbler_ , our competitor -”

“We write about very different things,” Luna points out.

“I haven’t forgotten the article Rita Skeeter wrote for _The Quibbler_ a few years ago about Potter. _Our competitor_ wants to poach one of my writers for their benefit. Forgive me if I find this request laughable.”

“We gave Harry a voice when the government sought to squash it. Which, I’m afraid, _The Prophet_ played a large part.”

“Different management. We’re in a new age.”

“So you say.”

He clenches his jaw. “And what, pray tell, is in it for _The Prophet_?”

There are a series of loud knocks, which makes Luna smile.

“I’m in a meeting,” he calls out, annoyed.

The door opens. “Sorry,” Harry says, not sounding remotely apologetic. “I figured since my name is being mentioned that I should probably have a say.”

Tracey’s boss appears... _flabbergasted_. That’s the word she’s looking for.

“You give Luna what she wants, then I’ll speak to _The Prophet_ ,” Harry says. “I won’t talk about the Battle. But anything else...is fine.”

Luna beams.

Tracey’s boss stares at them with an unreadable expression.

“Alright...although, Davis, I should let you know this: if you do this, then you’ll officially be a freelance writer. You’ll lose your position as a full staff member.”

Tracey’s face falls. Harry purses his mouth.

“Why?” Tracey questions, her voice low.

“Because I can’t have split loyalty in my office.”

Luna can see when Tracey makes up her mind. “Then consider this counter offer. _I quit_.” She stands up and looks down on him with contempt. “I may have had a serpent as the symbol of my House, but I’ve never known more of a _snake_ than you.”

“Go ahead. Good luck writing anywhere else.”

“I think I’ll take my chances.”

“Don’t bother cleaning out your desk. All property belongs to -”

“As if I _ever_ left anything of value here. A place where I continually had to watch my back?” Tracey scowls and leaves in a rush of fury.

Harry doesn’t bother to hide his amusement. “Well, I guess that offer is officially revoked. Enjoy the rest of your day.” 

“Come along now!” Tracey exclaims, her curly hair looking wilder than before. 

Luna thinks she looks absolutely _radiant_.

Luna takes Harry’s hand and rushes out to catch up to Tracey, who is rummaging through her bag. “I suggest you run out now,” Tracey tells them. “I have one last thing I’d like to do.”

She pulls out a Dungbomb. Harry laughs out loud.

Luna and Harry _run_ , but Luna manages to hear, “ _Suck my cock_ ,” which makes Harry laugh harder.

From outside, it smells excruciating and Tracey appears more manic than before. “Shall we go to your house to speak with your father?”

Luna grabs the both of them and Disapparates.

**

They land on their feet without much stumbling. Harry breaks the silence and says, “Nice to meet you, Davis. A pleasure.”

Tracey looks to Harry in utter surprise. But it is a true, first time meeting. She laughs with wet eyes. “Yes, it is.”

“I appreciate the lift away from that, but I should go. Give my best to Xenophilius, would you?”

“I will. Thanks, Harry, for offering.”

Harry smiles and nods. He waves at Tracey, who waves back. Tracey keeps wiping her face dry.

Once Harry leaves, Luna takes Tracey’s damp hand and leads her inside.

**

Luna doesn’t sit for it. She figures that should stay between Tracey and her dad. She’ll read the article once it’s ready.

She is there when they part ways, her dad shaking her hand enthusiastically, welcoming her to _The Quibbler_. Tracey is crying again, mostly out of sadness, Luna figures, but her dad assumes it’s for happiness.

“Just continue what you’re doing. You’re very bright and clever,” her dad encourages her. “It’s about time the magazine had a shake up again.’

Tracey smiles through her tears. “Thanks. I’m working on something in America, so I might be there for a few weeks. I’ll send an owl.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. Off you go! Thank you, for the taking the time to speak with me. It was...relieving. When will I expect your draft? I won’t touch it, of course, but my Luna here will do the honors.”

“Probably two weeks, depending on the weather.”

“Good, good. Well, good luck!”

Tracey leaves and the Lovegoods are left alone.

Her dad sighs and collapses onto a nearby chair. He has more lines on his face. She sits next to him and rests her head on his shoulder.

“Sometimes, I’m just so tired,” he says.

She forces herself to cry quietly as she squeezes his hand. Thankfully, they don’t need to say much. They love each other so fiercely and for so long, it was just them against everyone else. Sometimes, it still feels that way, even though she knows it’s not.

But sometimes, it is.

**

During this next meeting, Theodore continues to share bits of his project. Enough to convince them that what he has is legitimate and that he’s willing to bring to England to help them finalize it.

“So, if we bring you in sometime in April, what would be the expected completion date?” Shacklebolt inquires.

“Six months, possibly. That is, if everything is done absolutely correctly. No margin for error,” Theodore says.

“Well, then, I think sometime during the Easter holiday would be an excellent time,” McGonagall says, gathering her papers. “Kingsley?”

“I’d like for this to be done without fanfare. Perhaps on the twenty-first? A Saturday,” he suggests.

Luna looks down the table. Neville and Theodore nod while Daphne stares holes into Malfoy’s head for a brief moment before nodding as well. 

“Are we done? I have an appointment I need to get to,” Malfoy says, getting to his feet.

“Yes, we’re finished. Thank you, Mr. Malfoy,” Shacklebolt says.

Malfoy is quick to leave the room and Daphne quickly stands up to leave as well when Hestia Jones, who has slowly stood up, looks down at Theodore and says, "It'll be good to have you back, Mr. Nott. I can't imagine Iceland, especially where you've been, being as lively as London." She does nothing to hide how smug she feels.

“ _Hestia_ ,” Shacklebolt says in surprise.

Luna feels her breath catch in her chest. Daphne pauses in the corner of her eye.

"But I understand the appeal. The scenery is beautiful. The tranquility of it all."

Luna looks to Theodore, who appears…detached.

"You're very clever, Mr. Nott, but best not to get too arrogant. We look forward to seeing you in three months."

They all leave. Luna looks to Daphne and immediately grabs her wrist, squeezing tightly. Luna inadvertently gasps; she knew Daphne's magic was below the surface in a way that's rare in England – but this amount is -

Daphne removes herself from Luna’s hold and opens her planner and looks down with no expression. Luna looks over her shoulder and watches the date they picked be filled in with _Astoria and Draco's Engagement Party_ , the days beforehand being filled in with appointments and meetings to prepare.

"He's one of the vilest people," Luna says softly.

"No, that honor goes to my sister, who knows exactly what she's doing," Daphne says, shutting her planner. "Please excuse me."

She goes to the door and opens it to find Ares. "I'm afraid there's been a change of plans. I will not be returning to England."

"Back to Kyoto, then?"

"No, but there's something I would like for you to do, if possible," Daphne says. She turns back to look at Theodore. "Are you familiar with _unmei no akai ito_?"

Theodore seems to turn to stone - he doesn’t seem to move or breathe. Eventually, he nods once. Ares, however, has an opposite reaction – his eyes widen to the size of Galleons.

"Don't worry, I don't want the full ceremony. Simply preliminary," Daphne says, holding up her left hand.

Luna loves watching people think. Ares is a very quick thinker since he seems to understand what she wants in a few moments.

"Oh, Miss Greengrass. Tricky territory."

"Uncharted," she agrees.

"Daphne," Theodore says slowly.

Daphne walks over to Theodore and takes his hand. "Give me both your hands."

He's hesitant to give his other hand.

" _Ai shiteru_ ," she says.

" _Ai shitemasu yo_ ," he says back.

" _Anata wa watashinoiedesu_." She says it like a reminder.

Theodore clenches his jaw and nods.

Ares takes it as permission to lift his wand and perform a spell in Japanese. There are threads of red light lacing around Theodore’s and Daphne’s hands. It’s mesmerizing - the light, the humming -

“Is this a _marriage_?” Neville hisses in shock.

“No, I think it’s an engagement,” Luna whispers.

And suddenly, it stops. It takes Theodore and Daphne another moment until they let go of one another.

Ares sighs and puts his wand away. "You better knock us out well."

"I'll do it," Theodore offers. He looks to Neville and Luna. "I'm sorry," he says, his face betraying his guilt and fear, which in turn frightens her. “I’m so -”

“Do it, and do it well,” Luna interrupts him, clenching her jaw.

Theodore exhales sharply and nods. 

It’s a split second - Theodore muttering and Daphne _screaming_ , gripping Theodore and Disapparating just when the spell hits her and she’s knocked unconscious.

**

When she’s woken up fifteen minutes later, Hestia Jones is furious, screaming at Ares, who spins a lie about being caught off guard. Neville jumps in and says that Theodore and Daphne were speaking another language when they were alone - _French_ , he makes up. Most pureblood families are taught conversational; it’s believable.

There are orders to go to Iceland, to Theodore’s home, but he won’t be there. He’ll never go back. Luna wipes tears from her face that’s streaked with dust from a nearby bookcase falling in the wake of Theodore’s spell.

“Of course, Slytherins stick together, we should’ve known,” Hestia Jones spits. “We’ll just extradite him back from Japan.”

“We have no extradition treaty with Japan. He’ll undoubtedly seek asylum,” Shacklebolt sighs, starting to put the room back together. “Which he probably did in Iceland as well. You should’ve kept what we knew to yourself, Hestia.”

Luna glares at her until she storms out of the room. McGonagall hasn’t said a word, but Luna knows she’s upset. “Haven’t we done enough to this boy? Enough of this. Let him come home _now_ ,” McGonagall demands.

“I’m overruled, Minerva.”

“Yeah, that always seems to be the fucking case,” Neville mutters bitterly. “Come on, Luna, let’s go. I’ve had enough Ministry bullshit for the day.”

Luna Lovegood has never been fond of cursing. She finds it crude and feels rather silly saying any of the words. But right now, she _fucking concurs._


	4. Ab Intra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue that is bolded in this chapter means the character is speaking Japanese. Some Japanese words/terms will be kept due to the lack of a direct English translation.

Daphne

Daphne's aim is almost impeccable, landing within the grounds of the Ministry of Magic in Tokyo, Japan.

Almost, because they technically land in the gardens and they don't land on their feet. Theodore is on his back, gasping with the wind knocked out of him and Daphne is on her hands and knees, trying to keep herself from vomiting as she steals glances at him.

"Inter…continental...Apparition?" Theodore gasps, bringing a hand to his chest. He tries to lift his head, but fails.

Daphne does a quick mental inventory of her body, touching as she goes. No pain, nothing is missing. She spins to Theodore and lifts him up by the shoulders, scanning him.

"I'm fine, really," Theodore says, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against hers. He forces himself to breathe slower and she matches his breath until her heart rate slows.

“Daphne,” he starts, then stops himself.

“What?” she prompts him.

He inhales sharply and squeezes his eyes shut. His voice is soft. “Am I really worth this?”

In a rush of fury, she grabs his neck, fingers on his pulse. “Don’t you _ever_ ask that question again. _Wakarimasu ka_?”

He swallows, his Adam’s apple moving under her hand. She wants a lot of things, but she pushes it to the back of her mind. “ _Wakarimashita._ ”

She loosens her hold, her hand slipping to rest on his sternum.

He looks past her. "Good thing we didn't sound an alarm."

"Well, my aim was a little off, but I don't mind the privacy," she says, eyeing the trees and flower bushes surrounding them.

She reaches for his left hand and finds a delicate red thread tattooed around his ring finger. She feels guilt for a moment, reminded of the Dark Mark –

" _Stop_ ," Theodore says, bringing his other hand to her cheek to lift her face towards him. "It's not the same, not even close."

She exhales. "Sorry." Suddenly, she smiles. "Wow, that wasn't part of the myth. Sensing what the other person is feeling."

"I think it's supposed to be faint – your magic is almost outside of yourself at this point. Are you alright?"

"I feel like I'm going to faint."

Theodore is slow to get to his feet, but he manages and helps her up. She looks at him and tries to smile. He's right – she's so used to her magic being kept inside her breastbone, barely contained, and now that she's accessed it, it's like it's buzzing around her. 

She's surprised he's able to touch her.

"Hm," he hums in thought, adjusting his hold on her hands. "Maybe…" 

He shuts his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a few moments, she does feel _something_ , like a blanket trying to wrap around her, bringing her magic closer to her body. "What are you doing?" she asks.

"Winging it, I suppose." He opens one eye. "Is it working?"

"A little," she says. "I think with time I'll settle. But thank you for trying."

He purses his mouth. He doesn't like failing on the first try. She smiles properly this time.

"So, I suppose we should go inside?"

They just make it onto the path when they cross paths with Ministry security.

" **Intercontinental Apparition**?" one of them questions, looking between the two of them. " **Very risky** _._ "

" **Yes, we were hoping to speak with someone in regards to acquiring citizenship** _,_ " she explains, holding up her left hand.

One of them is so surprised that his jaw drops.

Daphne and Theodore are led inside, thankfully left unbound. It's strange to hold Theodore's hand in such a public place, but she doesn't feel the need to let go and neither has he. 

Daphne is grateful that the man who is checking arrivals doesn't react when she gives her name and explains that she is engaged, essentially married, really, to the man standing beside her – **_yes, he's English, and yes, it was not planned, but young love can be impulsive, yes?  
_**   
He refers them to a colleague and they're brought to a private room. The enchantment is examined thoroughly – Daphne doesn't know how such a thing can be faked, but she supposes anything is possible.

"While you seem to have a good grasp on Japanese, I'll speak in English to be clear," the man says, eyes flickering toward Theodore. "Frankly, it's very rare that we see _unmei no akai ito_ at all, let alone between people from different countries. Given this man's asylum status in a country that we, to be honest, have no relationship with…it's difficult."

"We're willing to take whatever steps the government deems necessary. We're…tired of being apart," Daphne answers.

He nods. "Please excuse me, I need to speak to my superiors and determine what to do in the meantime."

He leaves the room and they're left alone.

Theodore exhales slowly and looks around the room in a casual manner. "What's your schedule like for this week?" he asks.

"Well, I actually planned on going back to England for two weeks. But now that I'm not…usually I work some nights. From four to twelve on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then eight to five on Thursday and Friday. The occasional weekend."

He nods. "Are nights based on a rotation, or is it based on seniority?"

"Mix of both. I'm usually the go-to for sudden schedule changes. Like last week, I covered for a coworker who was trying to keep her relationship with her boyfriend alive."

The corner of his mouth quirks up.

"Now I'm realizing the irony," she says, smiling.

"I'll be awake."

"How much sleep are you getting, five hours?"

"Four on average."

"That's not enough."

"It's alright."

She shakes her head. " **I'm going to knock you out when we get to my grandparents' house** ," she says.

He exhales a laugh through his nose and smiles.

The man enters the room again with a stern-looking woman who has some fine lines around her eyes and mouth.

"Daphne Matsura and Theodore Nott – I'm Hana Nakamura."

Daphne recognizes the name - her grandparents know this woman well.

Hana holds Theodore's gaze. " **How fluent are you?** " she asks him.

" **I'm proficient, but there is always room for improvement** ," he says.

" **How would you define proficient?** "

" **I can hold conversations on a variety of topics. So far, I've understood every word you've said** ," Theodore says.

" **You're very polite**."

" **I've been told I'm overly respectful** ," Theodore says, eyes flickering to Daphne.

" **With _peers_** ," Daphne reminds him.

" **Well, I will certainly say you understand more than Ms. Matsura's father did in the beginning** ," Hana says with a small smile.

Daphne's eyes widen in surprise.

" **I'm very fond of your grandparents, Ms. Matsura. I'm sure we will work this out**."

Daphne smiles gratefully.

“May I?” Hana asks, holding out both of her hands expectantly.

Daphne gives her the left hand. Theodore follows suit.

Hana inspects both of their hands. “ **Well, given that you’ve gone ahead and begun the process and honestly, I don’t know if this spell caster was overzealous…** ” She trails off, inspecting their hands. “ **Or if you two are moving the process along inadvertently** ,” she finally continues, making it obvious which theory she believes in more, “ **We very well can’t force a separation.** ”

Daphne’s hand twitches in her grasp, proving her point.

“ **Your grandparents have been contacted. I’m assuming they’ll be on their way. In the meantime, would you like some tea?** ”

Her grandparents are going to be livid, there’s no alternative. They know, or at least suspect that Daphne has feelings for someone from England, but she knows she’s walked in on them discussing prospects more than once. She never had the heart to tell them that most respected families in Kyoto wouldn’t let their sons marry someone who is _half._

 __Daphne and Theodore are left in a room, comfortable with tea and snacks. Theodore hasn’t made a comment about the tea, so he’s lost in his thoughts. She doesn’t know what he’s thinking, but she can sense he’s nervous.

They only wait twenty minutes before her grandparents arrive. She braces herself, even though she knows her grandparents would never yell in public. The last thing she expects, however, is her grandmother _sighing._

“ **You just couldn’t wait until we could have the family here, could you? Such impatience** ,” she says with _fondness_.

She’s saving face.

Daphne bows. “ **I’m so sorry, Grandmother**.”

“ **Ah, well, what’s done is done**.” She holds out her hand expectantly. Daphne gives her the left hand. “ **At least you just completed the first part of the spell**.” Her grandmother looks to Hana. “ **This comes from my husband’s side of the family, this brashness**.”

Hana smiles. “ **Ah, well, young love is just so powerful, isn’t it? This should be no problem releasing him into your care. Please excuse me.** ”

The silence is stifling when it’s just the four of them.

“Intercontinental Apparition with another person?” her grandfather questions. “A little risky, no?”

“A bit,” Daphne admits. “But I had enough magic stored.”

“I’ve never done it before. You must tell me what it was like in detail.”

“Of course.”

Daphne looks to her grandmother, who is staring daggers at Theodore, who has his eyes down, hands behind his back. She puts her hands behind her back as well to stop herself from reaching out.

Hana returns with a few enchanted parchments for her grandparents to sign. She hands Theodore a different quill and takes away the ink.

“We take this seriously, so your blood is required,” Hana explains, even though Theodore’s face doesn’t give his confusion away.

Theodore takes the quill and signs quickly, wincing for a moment. Daphne has seen her fair share of blood, but there’s something nauseating about seeing Theodore’s on parchment.

"We'll meet next month to discuss next steps. We will see each other then.”

Farewells are exchanged, there’s bowing. They’re led to a special room to Disapparate.

" **Your parents and sister are here,** " her grandmother only says, grasping Daphne's arm in a firm grip.

Before they Disapparate, the first word that comes to mind is _kuso_.

**

The tension in the living room is palpable.

Daphne sneaks a glance at Theodore, who has his arms on either side of his body, his eyes cast down – she's never been more grateful for his obsession on being polite.

" **So this is the reason for your rebellion** ," her _sobo_ says, shooting a derisive look at Theodore. " **Just like your mother.** " She makes sure to stare at Daphne's mother. " **What is this fascination for English men?** "

" **I love him, Grandmother,** " Daphne says calmly.

Her _sobo_ makes a dismissive noise from the back of her throat.

" **Nothing has changed** ," Daphne continues, forcing down her anger. " **I will remain here and work.** " She ignores her parents' faces – she doesn't know to know how they feel about it. " **We're just so tired of being apart. I have not seen him for longer than a week for three years.** "

" **Then how can you claim you love him when you don't know what he's like every day –** "

" **We were in the same house for seven years, I think I know** ," Daphne snaps.

" ** _Hush_**."

Daphne clenches her jaw, but obeys. Astoria purses her mouth to keep from laughing.

" **I fail to see the difference on paper between Theodore and Malfoy** ," Daphne says softly, looking directly at her sister.

" **Malfoy serves the family in England, at least. Nott does not** ," her _sobo_ says.

" **He's a coward** ," Daphne says, taking care to use a word that Astoria will understand.

" **He did what he could. What did Nott do? He ran away** ," Astoria says, slowly and a little clunky. " **Draco isn't a criminal.** "

" **Theodore isn't a criminal.** "

" **Then why doesn't he just come home? Is he afraid? Or maybe he is and he just hasn't told you,** " Astoria taunts. " **After all, why hide if you did nothing wrong? He is a criminal, I don't know why you are so dumb about this – he's not _that_ handsome, so…**" she trails off, shrugging her shoulders, a knowing look in her eyes.

Daphne flushes and her hands curl into fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands when her grandmother suddenly says, " **He understands** ," her eyes fixated on Theodore.

Everyone holds their breath, while Daphne exhales.

Daphne looks and sees what her grandmother sees: a passive face, eyes still downcast, but his jaw is clenched in anger.

" **You** ," she says. He looks up, his face blank again. " **How well do you understand Japanese?** "

" **I wouldn't dare to presume my proficiency at a language that's not my native one** ," he says.

Astoria looks stunned. 

Her grandmother stares at him for a moment before looking to Daphne. " **How would you judge his proficiency?** "

" **He's advanced,** " Daphne answers with honesty.

Her grandmother then looks to Theodore. " **What did my granddaughter say that was so offensive to you? Was it being called a coward? Or was it the comment on your looks?** "

" **The assumption that I haven't told Daphne everything. And, of course, the insult on Daphne's intelligence.** " He looks to Daphne and the corner of his mouth twitches into a smile. " **Daphne Greengrass is no moron**."

Daphne smiles.

" **So, Astoria is right, there is a reason why you have not come back to England**."

Daphne wants to curse, but holds her tongue. Astoria's eyes light up in triumph. " **I am no moron either** ," she says.

" **Everyone, please leave** ," her grandmother orders. " **Except you two** ," she adds to Theodore and Daphne.

" **Mother –** " Daphne's mother starts.

" **Now,** " her grandmother counters.

When Daphne’s parents and sister leave the room, her grandmother is quick to soundproof it. 

Her grandfather walks forward until he’s standing directly in front of Theodore. 

"Do you know what I am?" her grandfather asks Theodore.

Daphne bites her tongue.

Theodore pauses, most likely debating on lying in order to protect Daphne, but he says, "Yes."

"It will be easier to read your mind if you don't fight back. I will be as gentle as I can," he says. "Daphne, would you mind grabbing some _zabuton_?"

Daphne does as she’s told, wordlessly curling her fingers to open the closet where they’re kept. She places two of them across from each other.

Her grandparents sit next to each other, while Daphne and Theodore sit across from them.

Her grandfather reaches across the space between him and Theodore. Theodore instinctively jerks back before he sighs and leans forward. "Apologies. I'm still not completely used to wandless magic," he murmurs.

"You Westerners, so narrow-minded," her grandfather jokes before placing his fingertips on Theodore's temples. 

Daphne was frightened as a child regarding her grandfather's ability as a Legilimens, how he could look at a person and know all their secrets, and she's sure that if her grandmother had her way, she would ensure that Daphne and Astoria would live with that fear indefinitely, but her grandfather was always kind and told her he never liked using this particular kind magic; she stopped worrying about it until now.

Daphne has never seen grandfather do this to another person, so she watches in fascination as her grandfather's eyes cloud over before he shuts them. She looks to Theodore, who has shut his eyes as well, a vein in his neck protruding.

" **Theodore would've told you** ," Daphne says to her grandmother. " **He knows how important you are to me.** "

" **This is more efficient**."

" **It's invasive**."

" **You're disrupting your grandfather's concentration**."

Daphne bites her tongue and focuses on Theodore, how his jaw clenches. When he winces the first time, Daphne reaches over to cover Theodore's curled hand on his knees with her own hand. His face smooths.

Her grandfather lets go with a gasp and Theodore's eyes fly open, red and glazed with tears. Theodore turns to Daphne, who moves her hand so her fingers lace with his. 

It’s a painful, stifling few seconds until her grandfather says, "Theodore, may you please leave us for a few minutes? You may use my office," gesturing towards the door on Theodore's left.

Daphne wants to thank him for not subjecting him to her parents and sister in this state, but she helps Theodore to his feet – his hand trembles in hers. 

" _Það er í lagi_ ," she whispers in his ear.

He looks to her in surprise.

" _Ég lærði nokkur íslensku. Segðu mér ekki að þú þekkir ekki íslenska?_ "

" _Auðvitað geri ég það_."

Daphne smiles and opens her grandfather's office for him. "I'll see you in a few," she says.

He lifts their joined hands and he presses his lips to her knuckles. She blinks in surprise and he hides a smile when he walks in.

She shakes her head and feels her cheeks warm when she turns to face her grandparents.

Her grandfather's hand is cupping her grandmother's cheek. His eyes are shut. When he lowers his hand, her grandmother opens her eyes and she's almost bewildered. Speechless.

" **You know, I haven't seen any of it** ," Daphne says as she walks toward them. Her grandfather opens his mouth. " **And I have no desire to. What memories did you manage to invade?** "

Her grandfather frowns. " **His mind was one of the hardest I had to sift through – he's naturally built strong defenses from a young age. I only caught glimpses**."

Daphne looks towards her grandfather's office. " **What did you see**?" she asks.

" **His cottage – Iceland, was it?** "

Daphne nods.

" **I saw his house – mansion, really. How empty it was. Cold.** "

It's fitting she burned it to the ground.

" **I saw his mother. I saw him murder his father. I saw him witnesses his mother’s murder at the hands of his father. I saw him alone. Very solitary person**."

Daphne nods again.

" **You touched him and _you_ came to mind**," her grandmother says, breaking her silence, her voice…off somehow. Hearty, Daphne thinks. " **Such trivial things. You walking through Hogwarts, I'm assuming. Snow in your hair. You smiling over tea**."

" **He respects you greatly,** " her grandfather adds.

Daphne tries to swallow over the lump in her throat. " **Please don't send him out** ," she begs quietly, but her voice cracks. " **Please.** "

"Theodore, you may come back in," her grandmother calls out, ignore Daphne.

Theodore opens the door and he looks a little more put together, although his eyes are still bloodshot. He stands next to Daphne and brings his hands behind his back.

"Let me share you something in return," her grandfather says, taking his time to look at Daphne and Theodore. "My two youngest siblings – Eri and Kenji – were killed in an attack during the Dark War."

If the times of Grindewald and You-Know-Who are brought up in hushed tones, filled with horror, the Dark War of Japan, which coincided with Grindewald's reign of terror, is barely mentioned at all due to the trauma it inflicted.

(The first time Daphne had ever asked about it, she was reprimanded so severely, she never even let herself think about it while in her grandparents' presence.)

Daphne forces herself to breathe.

"I found out through this gift of mine that my older brother – oh yes, Daphne, I had an older brother – betrayed the family, betrayed the cause. I took his life because my parents could not."

Daphne is dizzy.

"Do you think I feel regret?" her grandfather asks.

"No," Theodore says to Daphne's surprise.

"No," her grandfather agrees. "I had a peaceful sleep that night. I dreamt of my passed siblings and they thanked me." He exhales softly. "So, shall we bring the rest of the family in?"

Daphne opens her mouth to say something, but Theodore nudges her gently. His eyes are alight. " _Hvað er það?_ " she asks.

" _Við erum í lagi._ " he responds.

" **It's rude to speak a language not everyone understands** ," her grandmother says.

" _Sumimasen_ ," Theodore says.

Her grandmother brings her parents and sister into the room again.

" **Theodore will remain here** ," her grandmother announces. " **As will Daphne**."

Daphne looks to Theodore and doesn't bother holding back her smile. Theodore gives her a much more muted one, but it's just as genuine.

"But my _engagement party_ –" Astoria starts in English.

"Well maybe," her grandmother responds in turn, to everyone's shock, "if you wanted Daphne involved, you would've considered compromising in some regard. You should learn from your older sister."

Astoria flushes scarlet.

"It's funny when priorities become clearer once the consequences have been determined," her grandmother comments. She looks to Daphne’s mother. “ **I’m afraid I didn’t prepare on having so many people for dinner.** ”

“ **Don’t worry, we’ll be heading back to England,** ” her mother says. She looks to Daphne like she doesn’t even recognize her, which hurts a little. “ **I suppose we’ll see you in April.** ”

Daphne nods.

Her mother doesn’t spare a look at Theodore. In fact, neither does her father or sister when they leave.

“ **Well, dinner should be about an hour** ,” her grandmother announces.

“ **Would you like for me to cook, Grandmother**?” Daphne asks.

“ **I think you’ve had quite the ordeal today. You may show Mr. Nott to his room,** ” her grandmother says, gesturing towards the hall where the master bedroom is in – as far away from Daphne’s room as possible. “ **I hope I don’t need to state that there’s to be no impropriety in my house**.”

Daphne is mortified and judging by the subtle widening of Theodore’s eyes, he is too.

“ **No need,** ” she manages to say. She clears her throat. “ **I’ll give you a tour,** ” she tells Theodore.

She shows him the spare room he’ll be sleeping in, which does have a nice view of a sakura tree. He smiles briefly when she gestures with one hand at the screen leading towards the master bedroom.

She takes his hand for a moment and continues on, showing the reading room, her bedroom, the kitchen, the library, property.

They sit outside for a few moments, shivering a little in their cloaks.

“Where’s Gilly? Is she alright?” Daphne asks.

“She’s fine,” Theodore murmurs. “Every time I go to Stockholm, she leaves. I've had to send for her whenever I came back. I told her if I don’t, that means I was captured, or I have to disappear.”

“What about…” she trails off. His experiments, his belongings.

“Safe with V. They’re mostly raiding an empty cottage. I did have to leave some books behind, though. I’m hoping to procure them once I’m back in England, but I’m sure I won’t out of their spite.”

She exhales. “Poor Gilly.”

“She’ll find me eventually, I suspect.”

They sit in silence for almost a minute when Gilly pops in. She glares at Theodore, which makes Daphne hide a smile behind her hand.

“Master will scare me to death,” Gilly comments.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I did warn you.”

“Yes, at least there’s that.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from your network of friends?”

“One Auror attempted to burn the house down in frustration, but your warding to prevent that has held up after you half-destroyed the house.”

“Yes, yes,” Theodore says, not liking to be reminded of that error that happened over two years ago.

“They’re waiting for your return, so it would be wise to not.”

“I’ll be remaining here for the time being.” He looks to Daphne. “House-elves are not common here?” he asks.

“Yes. I’m sorry, Gilly, I don’t think you can remain here. This is my grandparents’ home.”

Gilly bows. “I understand, Miss Daphne.”

Theodore sighs. “Well, I can let you go to –”

“I respectfully decline.”

Theodore’s eyes light up with amusement. “Paid leave?” he offers.

She puts her hands on her hips.

“How about Hogwarts?” Daphne suggests. “I’m sure McGonagall will appreciate Gilly’s work ethic. And she’ll be protected there.”

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” Gilly says thoughtfully.

“That’s an idea. Headmistress McGonagall will work around your schedule,” he says.

Gilly nods. “Alright, Master Theodore, I will go to Hogwarts.”

“If you see Neville Longbottom, give him our regards,” he tells her. “Privately, of course.”

“Yes, of course.” Gilly pauses. “If I may be so bold…please take care!”

Theodore smiles and it melts Daphne’s heart. “I will. Please do the same.”

Gilly leaves and Daphne’s grandfather steps outside. “Was that a… _house-elf_?”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Hm. Strange looking.”

“Gilly has been extremely helpful to me over the past four years,” Theodore says. “If you may refrain from commenting on her appearance, I would appreciate it.”

“My apologies. I don’t mean to insult. Dinner will be ready shortly. I suggest you wash up.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

When he leaves, Theodore sighs. “That was rude, wasn’t it.”

Daphne is quick to kiss Theodore’s forehead. “It’s alright. If my grandfather were informed about house-elves, he’d be on your side. _Ikimasho_?”

**

Dinner is a quiet affair. Daphne was nervous about Theodore using chopsticks since she only taught him once, but he’s clearly practiced in the months they’ve been apart. He’s slow to eat his rice, but that’ll take more time to get used to.

“Tradition goes that on the first night my granddaughters arrive here, we speak English,” her grandmother explains to Theodore. “Then, for the rest of their stay, they only speak Japanese. The same rule will apply to you.”

He nods. “I understand.”

“While Hogwarts education is not Mahoutokoro, I’m assuming you were in the top five percent of your class at Hogwarts?”

“Yes, I was.”

“No remaining family?”

“No.”

“Inheritance?”

“Some, however I’m assuming the full extent of my inheritance was seized by the Ministry, but I’ve managed to acquire some before leaving the country.”

“He’s being modest,” Daphne says.

“You are essentially engaged to my granddaughter and I think if we were to fight her on it, we would lose and you will become our grandson-in-law tomorrow, so please be direct.”

Theodore puts down his chopsticks. “I’m comfortable with what I have saved. However, living without an income and buying materials and supplies for my work will be unsustainable, so my next source of income will be when I’m brought back to England and I sell my inventions to the Ministry or businesses.”

“So, you don’t plan on holding a steady job in the future?”

“At the moment, I’m enjoying my own set schedule. Besides, I don’t believe anyone in England will want to hire me, given that my father was one of the Dark Lord’s longest and closest supporters.”

“Dark Lord?”

“Force of habit,” Theodore explains with an apologetic frown.

“What sort of _work_ do you do, then?”

“Invent.”

“What have you _invented_?”

Daphne doesn’t like how her grandmother is stressing words in a condescending manner.

“A range of things. Spells, potions, charms.”

“He developed a potion that sobers you in an instant, no matter how much alcohol you’ve had,” Daphne says.

“I’ve also developed the opposite.”

“What, to make you drunk in a second? Why on earth did you create that?” Daphne asks.

Theodore picks up his chopsticks again and smiles. “Because I could. But that won’t be given out to anyone. I’m sure it would be used for immoral purposes.”

“He’s also developed a potion that stops werewolf transformations,” Daphne says with pride.

“Just for a few months. I’ll need Ministry funding to develop it further,” he adds.

She knows her grandparents are trying to be reserved, but she can tell they’re impressed.

“I see,” her grandmother says.

“However, given that I’m under your roof without much on my person for the next three months, if you'll still have me, I’m at your disposal.”

Her grandparents look at each other and then look to Daphne, who smiles.

Her father has always been a respectful, English gentleman, but he pales in comparison to Theodore Nott.

“Have you explored Japanese magic?” her grandfather asks.

“Only recently – it’s admittedly difficult to learn on my own.”

Her grandfather smiles. “I’ll be happy to teach you.”

Theodore blinks in surprise.

“I was a professor for a few years. That was my favorite job.”

Theodore’s eyes light up like a child’s. Daphne smiles as she finishes the rest of her meal.

“I will admit, your proficiency with the language is much better than Daphne’s father by the time he and my daughter were engaged,” her grandmother says. “Although they at least had the courtesy of not using _unmei no akai ito_.”

“That was my idea,” Daphne says calmly. “I only told Theodore about the concept once over a year ago.”

Theodore looks down at his left hand and his brow furrows.

Daphne looks down at hers and notices a second thread is looping around her finger. She bites her bottom lip for a moment.

“ _Unmei no akai ito_ is ancient magic and impossible to control,” her grandmother says, finishing her tea.

Daphne knows that – she’s always been fascinated by it for years. As a naive child, she had hoped she would find someone she loved so deeply that they’d want such binding magic. She never thought it would be used as a means of bringing someone into her country.

Although, she supposes the spell would’ve backfired if it was only that.

“It’s not practiced much anymore,” her grandfather explains to Theodore.

“It’s almost like an Unbreakable Vow in that sense,” Daphne adds.

Theodore nods slowly. “I’m assuming the spell is working on its own based on our own magic; it’s completing itself despite not having a caster.”

“Correct,” her grandmother says. “And as my granddaughter says, it is similar to an Unbreakable Vow. It cannot be broken. Your lives are tied.”

Daphne looks at Theodore, who smiles at her. “I don't mind. I’m very fond of my best friend,” he says.

Daphne looks down and curls her hair behind her ear, embarrassed and pleased.

“Well, we have some sweets leftover from the dinner we hosted two nights ago, shall I bring those out?” her grandmother asks, already getting to her feet. “And I’ll make some more tea.”

When Daphne’s grandmother leaves, her grandfather smiles at her. “This is very exciting," he says.

Daphne smiles.

Everyone is going well, at least until halfway through drinking his second cup of tea, Theodore places his cup down with less grace than usual.

He inhales sharply and blinks.

“I might have had a heavy hand with it, but then again, you’re already exhausted,” her grandmother says.

Daphne hits her knee on the underside of the table, nearly knocking it over to help Theodore to his feet. “You’re _cruel_ ,” Daphne hisses.

“I don’t trust him yet. Besides, I’m doing him a favor,” her grandmother says flatly, not looking at her. 

Theodore can mostly walk himself, but nearly collapses in her arms when they make it through the threshold to his room. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers against his temple as she lies him down.

He falls asleep before he can say anything.

A few tears of frustration fall down her face and she wipes them away quickly. She wants to stay, but she forces herself to leave, shutting the shoji gently behind her.

“ _Ég er að fara að sofa. Góða nótt_ ,” Daphne says, passing by her grandparents to get to her room, shutting the shoji with a flick of her wrist.

She’s had enough of her family for one day.

** 

Daphne wants to take time off, but she gave her word that it would be business as usual, so she wakes up at six in the morning and gets ready for her shift, figuring that her grandmother had taken care of her work schedule sometime in between harassing her family and Theodore. When she gets to the kitchen, she’s surprised to see her grandmother cooking. 

“ _Dozo_ ,” she says, gesturing toward the set table.

“ **Thank you, Grandmother,** ” Daphne says, bewildered. She sits down and looks down the opposite hall where Theodore will be staying. “ **Please don’t tell me that potion killed him in his sleep** ,” she says casually as she prepares her bowl. 

Her grandmother smiles. “ **No. As I said, he doesn’t sleep enough. He needs to rest. It shouldn’t have worked as quickly as it did. Soon enough he won’t need it**.”

“ **What do you mean**?” Daphne asks warily. 

“ **I’ve decided that I will be teaching him along with your grandfather**. **He won’t need the help falling asleep.** ”

Daphne bites her tongue for a moment. “ **He may not wake up until noon**.”

“ **I doubt it. Strong will – he’ll wake up before nine. How’s the fish? I’m trying something different**.”

“ **It’s delicious. Thank you.** ”

Her grandmother watches as Daphne gathers her belongings. Daphne hides a roll of her eyes as she pretends to double-check her bag. She supposes she’ll have to see him tonight, then.

Daphne straightens herself and loops her bag across her body.

“ **I’ve made you lunch,** ” her grandmother says, offering her a packed bag.

Daphne smiles and shrinks it to fit in her bag. It’s the closest to a peace offering, she supposes. “ **Thank you. I’ll see you tonight**.”

“ **How late?** ”

“ **Sometime between six and seven, hopefully**.”

“ **Have a good day**.”

“ **You too**.”

**

“ **Wait, am I missing something? I thought you were off the next two weeks**?” Kaoru, the first Healer to actually taking a liking to Daphne, asks in the entrance to the staff lounge.

“ **Change of plans**.”

“ **Oh, disapproving Daphne face.** ”

“ **Would you stop labeling my facial expressions**?”

“ **Sorry** ,” Kaoru says, not sounding remotely sorry. “ **Please tell me. Please share drama with me that has nothing to do with me**.”

Daphne rolls her eyes. “ **I take it you and Soji didn’t make up**?”

“ **Well, it’s hard to make up when he refuses to commit, but then comes Apparating into your flat at three in the morning with a missing hand, crying about missing me**.”

Daphne winces. “ **Is he here**?”

“ **Got discharged last night. Still being stubborn**.”

“Merlin,” Daphne sighs.

“ **So, you know mine, _please_ tell me yours**.”

“ **My little sister is incorrigible. So, I will not be assisting her in the planning of her engagement festivities**.”

" **Okay, but you're not one to rebel against the family over nothing**." She breaks into a small coy smile. " **Please tell me it's a man**."

Daphne exhales sharply. " **Yes**."

Kaoru blinks in surprise.

" **I thought that's what you were hoping for** ," Daphne says.

" **Of course, but I actually didn't expect it to be _true_**." Kaoru gasps. " **You must give me details! Who is he? How did you meet? And _why_ hasn't he been _mentioned_**?"

Daphne finally begins putting her belongings away. " **We went to Hogwarts together.** "

Kaoru groans. " **You're killing me. Please provide more information.** "

Daphne wordlessly takes off her cloak and then her gloves, showing off her left hand. It's almost comical how Kaoru's eyes widen in realization before squealing so loudly that Daphne winces. She takes her hand to close to her face. " **Wow, I haven't seen anyone close to our age with this**." Kaoru drops Daphne's hand. " **I can't believe you hide a man for years and spring him out when you're practically _married_**!"

" **We’re not married. And it's been long distance for a lot of it**."

" **Wow, so romantic. Everyone is going to be _so_ jealous.**"

Daphne _sincerely_ doubts it, especially when they realize he's as English as they come. 

" **Let me guess, English**?" Kaoru speculates knowingly.

" **One time he said I'd have to pry English breakfast tea out of his cold, dead hands** ," Daphne sighs, locking everything away with her hand.

" **I hope your grandparents let him out of your house. I can practice my English!** "

Daphne shakes her head and smiles. Kaoru's English is, admittedly, not the best, but Daphne helps whenever they manage to have lunch together.

" **What's his name**?"

" **What, and have the entire staff know before eleven o'clock? Bye, Kaoru, have a great day**."

" **You’re mean!** "

Daphne laughs and leaves her.

**

Word travels fast, most likely thanks to Kaoru, but she knows one of the administrators has sharp eyes and noticed. She doesn’t expect people to be in _awe_ of it, but Kaoru was right - it’s not something people their age do.

During lunch, a fellow Healer, Itsuki, is the first one to say, “ **That’s not complete.** ” Her surprise must register on his face because he adds in explanation, “ **My maternal grandparents have them**.”

“ **No, only the first part was done. But it seems to be moving along regardless. It’s inevitable it will complete itself** ,” she says, looking down at her finger. The thread is supposed to wrap around seven times, then settle it one, thicker band. Right now there are two, but it’ll be three soon enough.

“ **He must be here, then**.”

“ **With my grandparents. They’re teaching him**.”

“ **The language**?”

“ **He knows the language. They’re teaching him magic**.”

His eyebrows rise. “ **Wow. Well, you’re very smart, so it’s not surprising that you match with someone very smart.** ”

“ **Thank you. I just hope they don’t occupy him the entire time. But knowing him, it’ll be impossible to separate him from new textbooks,** ” she sighs.

The day is uneventful otherwise, so she manages to get home closer to six. The door to her grandfather’s office is shut, so she’s assuming Theodore’s in there. She changes out of her clothes and washes up for dinner, debating on the best way to interrupt, but when she comes out to the living room with a book in hand, her grandfather and Theodore are already there, speaking quietly. Theodore is unsurprisingly carrying five, large textbooks in his arms.

“ **Ah, Daphne, how was work today?** ” her grandfather asks.

“ **Uneventful. And how was your day?** ”

“ **Productive! Mr. Nott is a quick learner.** ”

“ **He’s an excellent teacher** ,” Theodore says.

Daphne exhales. Well, the problem never really was her grandfather, who lets her grandmother take charge, but is infinitely more open-minded. “ **I’m happy to hear that**.”

“ **You might want to change - we’re going out for dinner** ,” her grandfather tells her.

“ _Nani_?!” Daphne blurts.

Theodore raises an eyebrow and tries not to laugh.

“ **Well, we can’t just hide Mr. Nott away from the world like we’re ashamed of him.** ”

“ **You’re not and I’m not. Grandmother, on the other hand…** ”

“ **Yes, well, that will change with time. Both of you should get ready.** ”

Daphne goes back into her room to change and put on some makeup. When she comes out, she admires Theodore’s dark green sweater that fits him very nicely. 

“Did my grandparents take you shopping?” she asks him.

He brings a hand to his chest. “No, these were in my room when I woke up this morning.” His jaw clenches for a moment; he’s upset about last night. “Not sure how that was managed, but I was told to not question anything.” His fingers twitch by his side. “How was work?” he asks her.

“Oh, it was fine. I was the talk of all the wards.”

He winces in sympathy. 

“They’ll get over it soon enough. Kaoru - you remember her - will surely cause a ruckus by the end of the week.”

“Soji still being a prick?”

“He might get his head out of his arse soon enough. He splinched himself last night - lost a hand.”

He inhales sharply. “Awful.”

She hums in agreement. “So, you were really being tutored for the last ten hours?”

“Well, the morning revolved on teaching me more culture aspects, like food and cooking and clothes.”

She frowns. He’ll definitely be asked to cook.

“I like it. I like how everything is a ritual, almost.”

She steps closer and hugs him, pressing her forehead against his chest.

“Hey,” he murmurs, wrapping his arms around her. 

“I love that you’re here,” she says.

He holds her tighter in response.

She steps back quickly, giving them a few seconds to compose themselves before her grandparents join them.

“Shall we?” her grandmother asks.

They go to a local restaurant that her grandparents have been going to for decades. They’re friendly with the owners, the Sagaras. Her grandparents introduce Theodore to them, and they’re utterly fascinated by him - they have never ventured away from East Asia before and rarely deal with tourists in their hard-to-find restaurant.

She knows it’s hard for Theodore to do this, be the center of attention, but he does well. The owners’ daughter serves them. She’s not fascinated by Theodore in the least. But then again, she never seemed to like Daphne from the beginning, so that’s not surprising.

“ **He uses chopsticks like he’s Japanese!** ” Mr. Sagara compliments. “ **Don’t you agree**?” he says to his daughter.

Theodore smiles politely and manages to pick up a little rice from his bowl.

The daughter smiles uncomfortably and agrees. Daphne side-glances at her and sips her sake.

They’re given a complimentary dessert, which an assortment of _daifuku_ , which is a good sign that the family likes Theodore enough to share what they have. Daphne explains what’s inside each of them - red bean paste, strawberry and anko, coffee-flavoring filling, and caramel creme. 

He takes the bites of each of them and gives them to her to finish. Except the strawberry one - that he shakes his head and finishes himself.

“ **Cruel** ,” she jokes.

He smiles with no hint of remorse.

“ **Such a wonderful couple,** ” Mrs. Sagara coos, looking to her daughter to agree.

She says, “ **They’re cute**.”

Daphne bristles at the condescending nature of the comment.

“ **Cute** ,” Theodore repeats thoughtfully.

The daughter masks her scoff as a clearing of her throat. “ **I’m sorry, do you not know what that means**?” 

“ **Ah, I do, thank you. Forgive me, I’m surprised by the comment. We are usually described as being too serious, so it’s nice to be described as something so...cheerful.** ” He gives her a smile that’s so full of sarcasm that her face falls.

Daphne is absolutely in love with him.

And if Daphne isn’t mistaken, she’s sure her grandfather is sold. Her grandmother, well. She ends up taking the last _daifuku_ and comments that the strawberry is her favorite too.

**

Weeks go by in the same manner. She goes to work, he stays behind and learns. They have dinner together - or breakfast, depending on her shift. While she hated being apart from him, having him so close is painful in its own way, how their lives are running parallel in the same house.

She hasn’t been able to touch him since the day after they arrived, given that they’re never left alone.

He’s throwing himself into learning because it’s the only thing he can control, which she understands. She’s just tires of always working towards an endgame that feels like is slipping further away.

On Valentine’s Day, women give gifts to men. A month later, White Day, is when men give gifts to women. It’s something that Daphne found strange when she first heard about it; there are a few Western customs she prefers more and Valentine’s Day being mutual is one of them.

At work she gifts her male colleagues _giri-choco_ in gratitude of their work, purchased days ago in preparation. She planned on making _honmei-choco_ from scratch for Theodore, but she worked until two in the morning the night before and had to come back to the clinic four hours later. She comes home empty-handed that night because by the time she leaves work, stores have closed.

She arrives home and it’s dark inside, save for a single light left for her. She sits outside in the bitter cold until her fingers are numb - then she goes to sleep.

She wakes up in the morning and finds a tray of breakfast and a small pot of tea beside her bed along with a letter.

_ Fyrirgefðu að við sáumst ekki hvert annað í gær, en íhuga þetta sem undarlegt vestræna sérsniðið. Ég elska þig. _

It should make her smile, but it just makes her cry.

**

At the end of the week, they’re eating dinner in utter silence. Daphne had worked a night shift in which she watched a girl not even sixteen lose her memories due to a jealous male classmate cursing her. She watched the last of her light leave her eyes.

The thought of eating makes her _sick_.

So she sits there, not picking up her chopsticks, staring down at the table.

She feels her magic collapsing into herself, a void expanding behind her ribcage. 

“ **May we be excused?** ” Theodore asks.

“ **You may not** ,” her grandmother says.

She hears the clinking of chopsticks being put down. “ **Let me rephrase. We will be excusing ourselves.** ”

“ **Mr. Nott, I did not** -”

“ **No, you did not. And I do not care**.”

Theodore makes his way over to her and he hesitates for a moment. She shakes her head once, but he places a hand on her shoulder anyway. She tries to keep it in, but a few things happen at once - something snaps in her, the teapot shatters and the light bursts above while her grandparents are blown out of their seats and Theodore gasps and is brought to his knees. 

“ **No** ,” she says.

“ _Incorrigible_ ,” he counters, his forehead resting against the back of her head. “I can handle it.”

“ _No_ ,” she insists.

“Please,” he whispers.

She leans back and channels what she has. It knocks the breath out of him, but he meets her halfway, absorbing what he can. She reaches behind her for his hand - his left one - and she feels it, when the spell completes itself. She feels -

Calm.

She exhales and the air stills.

She looks at her grandparents and she doesn’t know what hurts her the most - her grandmother’s frightened expression or the heartbreak on her grandfather’s face.

She feels Theodore move his head back, but he keeps holding her hand. She cranes her neck to look at him and there are tears on his face, but he looks _murderous_.

He inhales breath, ready to speak, but she presses back against his chest, her head brushing against his jaw. “I will speak in English to make myself clear,” she starts, her voice surprisingly hoarse. “I am capable of making sound decisions based on what I value. I have always valued this family. I honor it in every way that I can. And now, this family will accept one more person because he is what _I_ value. If I can accept _yours_ , then do me the courtesy of accepting _mine_.”

The only sounds that can be heard are everyone’s breathing.

Her grandfather slowly gets to his feet, walking a few feet closer to her before getting to his knees, bending forward until his face is a few inches from the ground - a _saikeirei_ bow. Her grandmother seems to steel herself before doing the same.

Suddenly, broken shards of the pot are coming together, sealing in flashes of gold. Daphne turns around and sees Theodore with his free hand lifted, fingers twitching.

“I have to admit,” he says in a low voice. “This is...pretty wicked.”

Daphne bursts out laughing and doesn’t stop until the pot is complete - whole and even more stunning with veins of gold. She catches sight of their joined hands, of the matching threads of red tattooed against their skin and takes a breath.

“Let’s renegotiate,” her grandmother says.

Daphne nods.

**

They come to the following agreements: Daphne and Theodore are allowed a half hour of time together, alone, every day. In the living room only, not in either of their bedrooms.

They are allowed to go out alone on a date once a week until March, when it will increase to twice a week. 

Unfortunately, she picked a terrible week to lose her temper because she must work nights due to the Healer who would typically work these hours is visiting a sick relative in Osaka, so it’s agreed that they have lunch privately together for the week.

Daphne falls asleep quickly and wakes up early and stares at her kimono draped across her chair. She doesn’t have to check to know that she shattered her wand the night before.

She sends word to the clinic that she’ll be calling out of work due to needing to attend to an urgent matter. Instead of receiving a simple confirmation, she’s questioned, which makes her furious. Figuring that the news will be revealed anyway, she writes back, **_My wand is shattered_**.

The house is quiet, her grandparents leaving a note that they’re out for the day. She goes to Theodore’s room and gently knocks. When she doesn’t hear a response, she knocks loud and says, “Theodore.”

The shoji slides open and she’s faced with Theodore’s back. He’s sitting on the floor, legs crossed, with his hands on his knees.

“Sorry to disturb,” Daphne says slowly. “But I’m taking the day off. I need to acquire a new wand.”

She can feel when he stops meditating. He turns to look at her. “Did you -?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

He frowns a little. “I’m assuming Kyoto has a wand shop?”

“A very old one,” she confirms. “Older than Ollivanders. The owner claims to have been alive for close to three-hundred years.”

He blinks. “Well, that...should be an experience.”

She knows he’s curious, that he’d love to go and see it for himself, but…

“I’ll see you when you return, then.”

She walks into his room and hesitates. He smiles knowingly, sadly. “We’ve gone longer,” he points out.

“Being thousands of miles away from each other made that easy.”

“I wouldn’t call it _easy_.”

“Well, it certainly made logistics impossible.”

He gets to his feet and he stands tall, looking down at her and cupping her face with his hands, bringing her mouth to his. It’s brief and she wants to bring him closer, fall onto his bed, but tucks her bottom lip into her mouth and pulls her head back. “I’ll see you later.”

He drops his hands and nods, stepping back.

“Go back to your meditating,” she tells him. “Did my grandfather give you some pointers?”

“Actually, it was your grandmother. She says we have similar dispositions of the mind. I’m inclined to believe her.”

When all is said and done, she wants to sit down with him and talk about it, but for now, she kisses his cheek and leaves him.

**

The wand shop is currently owned by Hirano- _san_. Nobody seems to know his first name. There are only three wandmakers in Japan, but what makes the Hirano family special is that his family has made wands for royal families.

So, she’s nervous when she steps inside the small shop, hidden away on a timeless Kyoto street. The air is still inside and she’s afraid to breathe.

“I believe you’re lost.”

She exhales. “ **Excuse me, but I’m not**.”

Silence.

“ **Maybe you aren’t**.”

The man she assumes is Hirano- _san_ is suddenly before her. He’s tall, his hair long and white. He has a cloth wrapped around his head, over his eyes.

He holds out his hands and says nothing more. She slowly places her hands in his. She’s surprised how warm they are.

“ **Hmmm, yes, of Matsura blood. But also something not from here. From the west.** ”

“ **England**.”

He nods once. “ **I provide wands to Japanese witches and wizards.** ”

“ **I am a Japanese witch. I was born here.** ”

“ **You may have, but you were raised away. You did not attend Mahoutokoro. Did you know you were written down to attend since your infancy?** ”

She did not. “ **I had no control over my childhood. But I’m here now. It’s my choice to be here.** ”

“ **But it wasn’t**.”

“ **No, but now it is. So…** ’

“ **So.** ”

“ **I’m in need of a wand.** ”

She gently removes one her hands to reach into her cloak to take out the small bag that she put the shards of her broken wand in. He gently cups holds the bag in the palm of his hand.

“ **English wands…** ” he tuts.

“ **The Ollivander family is well regarded in the west.** ”

“ **Yes, I know of that family.** ” He uses his other hand to open the bag. He furrows his brow. “ **This was your doing**.”

“ **Yes. An accident.** ”

“ **It seems tainting the Matsura blood has done nothing to your power**.” Before she even has a chance to muster fury, he suddenly smiles. “ **Ah, yes, that fire. Well, go ahead, then.** ”

She looks around the shop, confused. 

“ **It’s much quicker to have the witch or wizard find their wand. It’s like** _minasoko no hari wo sagasu_ **, but better than my choosing wands for you.** ”

 _Minasoko no hari wo sagasu_ \- a direct translation would be ‘searching for a needle at the bottom of the water,’ which is similar to the English idiom ‘finding a needle in a haystack.’ 

And it would be - there are so many wands hidden away in dark corners. 

“ **I can guide you to a particular place to start** ,” he offers, moving his arm and gesturing to his left. “ **The rest is up to you**.”

She bows and exhales, shutting her eyes. She can sense his approval. She walks slowly in the direction she suggested, opening her mind for something to call her. She stops short and breathes, sensing something tugging at her. But it’s too gentle and she’s afraid it’ll slip away - 

No. She won’t let it. She reaches for it and throws her head back to look at a top shelf. She lifts a hand and it comes to her - a light grey wand that when it touches her hand, feels like an extension of herself in a way that her old wand hadn’t felt in a long time. 

She also knows what it means, her having a cherry wand, the prestige of it in Japan. She curls her fingers around it and smiles, triumphant.

**

She walks through the city for a while. It’s cold, but the briskness is nice as she roams. She’s been in this city and other cities through the country in many forms, pretending to be other people, but today, she’s happy, proud, content with being herself.

**

The day before they’re expected to return to the Ministry, she’s notified by an administrator that she has a visitor waiting for her. She’s confused and rather annoyed that nobody thought it appropriate to take her grandmother or grandfather to the Healer’s Wing. It’s not until she’s turning the corner does she think, _oh_ , maybe –

Theodore is waiting for her with lunch. The staff are not being subtle in regards to their staring.

She walks towards him and there’s a moment of pure relief in his eyes that almost makes her laugh. She tries not to skip. “This is a surprise,” she says.

She can tell he expected to converse in Japanese, so it takes him a moment to mentally switch. “No one is more surprised than me,” he says. “I made lunch.”

Daphne raises her eyebrows. “ _You_?”

“I have been feeding myself for a few years – I can cook a variety of fishes.”

Daphne smiles. “I’ll take you to the Healer’s Wing. I’m sorry no one had the decency to escort you.”

“It’s fine. I find hospitals interesting.”

“Do you?”

“Interesting and a little terrifying,” he admits.

She gives him a quick tour along the way, explaining that the layout is somewhat similar to St. Mungo's in that different floors and wings cater to different needs. She says lately she’s been covering a lot of severe body injuries – splinching, broken bones, transfiguration mishaps. When she’s not doing that, she’s learning under Healers that work with injuries to the mind, which of course, he already knows.

They enter the lounge and Daphne can’t bite back a sigh when she sees Kaoru dozing on the couch. She was supposed to have left an hour ago.

“Get ready,” Daphne mutters, shutting the door behind her.

Kaoru awakes with a start. She looks at Daphne, then at Theodore, then grins. “ **Is this him?** ” she asks.

“Kaoru, Theodore. Theodore, Kaoru,” Daphne introduces quickly.

Kaoru scrambles off the couch and grins excitedly, sticking her hand out. “Hello,” she says. “It is nice to meet you!”

Theodore gives a small smile, taking her hand. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Too?”

“Also,” Theodore clarifies at the same time Daphne says, “ _Mo_.”

“Ah, you’re right, sorry,” Theodore says.

Daphne shrugs.

Kaoru looks to Daphne. “ **Even though he’s English, he’s still handsome!** ” she says.

Daphne purses her mouth to keep herself from laughing. “ **You hear that?** ” she asks Theodore.

“ **I’m flattered, thank you** ,” Theodore says, endearingly flustered.

Kaoru’s face turns deep scarlet. “ **He understands Japanese?** ”

“ **Very well** ,” Daphne says. “ **You should be careful not to assume**.”

Kaoru hides her face in her hands for a moment before bowing deeply. “ **I’m very sorry!** ”

“ **It’s fine. Daphne likes a dramatic reveal for my ability to speak Japanese,** ” Theodore says with a sly smile.

“ **It doesn’t get old** ,” Daphne admits.

“ **You brought lunch? How sweet**.”

“ **He made it** ,” Daphne corrects.

“ **Can we switch?** ” Kaoru asks seriously.

“ **Goodbye, Kaoru. I’ll see you at the staff meeting later** ,” Daphne says.

Kaoru sighs. “ **Fine, fine. Enjoy! Nice to meet you, Theodore! Next time, let’s stick to English. I want to get better!** ”

“ **Nice to meet you too.** ”

Kaoru winks at Daphne and leaves.

“Friend of yours?” Theodore asks innocently.

“I think so,” Daphne says.

Lunch is enjoyed in peaceful silence. She compliments his cooking, which, is decent considering that her grandmother probably insisted on using Japanese spells to cook.

“What are you doing once you get back?” Daphne inquires.

“Studying. My charm work in Japanese is not up to par with my Latin-based spells.”

“And then you’ll rest?”

He looks at her pointedly. “I’ve been sleeping just fine, actually.”

“I’m sure you’re thanking my grandmother extensively.”

He smiles. “I don’t drink her tea, if that’s what you’re insinuating. Your grandparents just exhaust me.”

“Well, they exhaust everyone.”

“You also got a letter,” he says, pulling one out of his robe. “From Neville.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to wait for me,” Daphne says, taking the letter. “You could’ve opened it.”

He stares at her like she said something ridiculous like Luna. “I most certainly could not.”

“Why?”

“It was addressed to _you_.”

“Well, obviously, because that would be ridiculous to put your name to an address. Of course it’s for both of us. Neville is a mutual friend, silly.”

“It wasn’t silly,” he mutters.

She ignores him and opens it and begins reading. “ _Dear Daphne -_ I will like to note that there is a space after my name, so he probably thought about addressing it to you as well and thought better of it - _I hope all continues to be well. I admire your work in such a difficult area of magic and I’m sure it’s appreciated by patients and families alike. I’m starting to teach more of my own classes, working my way up from First Years and now teaching a few NEWT lessons as well. Hogwarts remains mostly the same, but there are a few changes. I know Hermione Granger is not a mutual friend, but her work in SPEW is doing wonders - house-elves are actually seen more often and even seem to be striking friendships with students and staff. I’ve personally become friends with one who doesn’t seem to like the way I organize my ingredients, which makes me laugh and wonder where she picked up that quirk. I do hope to see you in the spring - while London does not compare to Japan and its sakura blossoms, I still think London can be quite nice. Hope to hear from you soon, regards, Neville._ ” She gives him a pointed look. 

“I’m afraid that’s my fault,” Theodore says with a sigh. “There’s logic to it.”

“I know.”

“It makes sense,” he insists.

She goes to hand him the letter, but when he reaches out for it, she drops it and takes his hand, fingers brushing against the _unmei no akai ito_. It’s strange to consider that they are, technically, married, but it’s been so long since they were regularly practiced, that she doesn’t know if the government will accept it. Either way, she thinks she would like a proper ceremony at some point. It’ll have to be very exclusive.

“Do you think Luna would officiate a wedding ceremony?” she thinks out loud.

“I would rather have Andres do it, personally. Or his brother, if we’re going to choose someone we know,” he answers as if he’s privy to her thoughts. “She’d probably be my...best...well. There’s no good equivalent to ‘best man.’”

If that’s the case, then Daphne will have to have a conversation with Luna about dressing down for the occasion. “We have time to figure it out.”

He squeezes her hand.

Even though they shouldn’t, she can’t help herself and she kisses him goodbye, resting her hands on his sides. She pulls back and her hands slip to his abdomen in surprise.

Other Healers come in, so Daphne asks in Icelandic: _some changes to look forward to?_

“ _Laumast_ ,” he says deadpan.

She tries not to laugh. “ _Komast héðan,_ ”

“ **I’ll see you for dinner, then?** ”

“ **See you then.** ”

The other Healers openly stare at him as he leaves. Kaoru, having no boundaries, says, “ **You’re not going to say you love her?** ”

Theodore turns around and says to Daphne, “I love you, _aishetru, ég elska þig_.” He nods to Kaoru, who gives him a _thumbs up_.

Daphne shakes her head and watches him leave. She’s bombarded, of course, the interest renewed again, but now she’s happy to speak about him, them - it doesn’t need to be hidden or protected anymore, at least, not here, which makes her content.

They can make it.


	5. Non Sum Qualis Eram

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I Am Not Such As I Was

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue that is bolded in this chapter means the character is speaking Japanese. Some Japanese words/terms will be kept due to the lack of a direct English translation.

Theodore

Theodore can see the __  
unmei no akai ito  
best when he’s first waking up, when reality doesn’t quite set in and everything is soft. The thread is wrapped around his finger - that’s clear always - but sometimes he can see the thread extend through space, see it through the shoji where it passes through the living room, through the corridor, and to Daphne’s room, around her finger.

He slowly lifts up his hand, curling his hand around the thread, lightly tugging it. He feels a whisper of amusement in the back of his mind and an answering tug. 

He blinks and opens his eyes properly and he loses sight of it. He exhales slowly and begins his routine: meditating, showering, and studying.

He, Daphne, and her grandparents are eating breakfast in contemplative silence. He misses eggs and toast and black pudding and English breakfast tea, but he’s getting used to his new diet. If he’s honest about it, it’s much kinder to his body, but he won’t share that with Daphne yet since he likes teasing her too much.

“ **It’s very refreshing not needing to review how we’ll behave** ,” Daphne’s grandfather says once they’re finishing. “ **Wouldn’t you agree, dear?** ” He turns to look at his wife.

She nods. “ **Yes. We are fortunate.** ”

Theodore sneaks a glance at Daphne across the table, who raises an eyebrow for a moment. He smiles and brings his tea up to his face. 

When they arrive at the Ministry, they don’t wait long. Daphne’s grandparents are questioned regarding Theodore’s character. They speak well of him, commemorating his absorbent mind and quickness to adapt. They say he follows direction well and is respectful.

There’s a pang of disgust in his stomach that comes as fast as it leaves, reminded of his father, speaking of his benefit to the Dark Lord. Voldemort.

He breathes slowly, centering himself. 

They comment on the completion of _unmei no akai ito_. Daphne fibs and says she finished it on accident after an attempt at wandless magic that shattered her old one. They’re impressed by her _sakura no ki_ wand.

Finally, he’s invited to speak.

He’s thought about what to say, struggled for weeks. He wants to be honest, but he doesn’t like exposing himself; it makes him anxious and he doesn’t want people knowing he can be vulnerable. He preferred when his peers thought he had no heart.

But now his heart is quite literally wrapped around his finger and around Daphne’s; thousands of miles away, he has actual _friends_. He’d laugh about it if it didn’t scare him.

“ **I am not a man of many words,** ” he prefaces. “ **But I have nothing but honor, respect, and love for the Matsura family and this country. It would be a privilege to continue living here.** ”

Hana, one of the only recognizable people in the meeting, smiles. “ **You have the emotional reservation of a true Englishman.** ”

There’s no point in remotely denying it.

“ **I have always thought Japan and England mirrored each other quite well in terms of our senses of tradition and decency.** ”

Daphne smiles brightly at him.

They ask him about his plan once he goes back to England. 

“ **I will be going to England at the end of April and returning to Japan at the end of May or the beginning of June. I will spend the summer here and return to England in September.** ”

“ **Residing in two countries is not a permanent solution. What about children?** ” Daphne and Theodore are asked.

Theodore doesn’t like thinking about children. They terrify him. He’s terrified of himself. He figures Daphne would want them – and who wouldn’t think Daphne would be a capable, wonderful mother?

“ **We’re in no rush to have children, but in terms of raising children, we are not opposed to raising them here** ,” Theodore says, figuring this is the most diplomatic answer, even though it makes him vaguely ill.

Daphne nods in agreement.

Ultimately, they acknowledge that there’s really no other option than to accept Theodore as a new citizen based on his being bound to Daphne. There’s an expectation that they’re to be legally, _properly_ wed before he leaves the country, which they’ll have to talk about. But they add that he’s most welcome, so that’s grand. At least now being a proper citizen again, he can do some things he wasn’t able to do before, like direct correspondence and legal travel.

He does a poor job of hiding his happiness once it’s official, but he hopes the obvious enthusiasm helps his case.

Once they’re in the privacy of their home, Daphne’s grandmother narrows her eyes at Theodore. “ **If your reservation on having children has to do with your evil father, then disregard it.** ”

“ ** _Grandmother_** ,” Daphne admonishes.

Theodore stares at her grandmother, searching. There’s a level of distance between them that will always be there because he’s not Japanese, but she respects him enough to be honest, so he tries to exhales some of the weight that he steadfastly ignored when he realized Daphne was permanent. 

He nods in acknowledgment.

“ **I think we should celebrate Theodore’s citizenship. I’ll grab some sake.** ” She goes toward the kitchen, stops midway, is silent, then says without turning around, “ **You may have fifteen minutes alone in any room you like.** ”

Her grandfather raises his eyebrows once and mutters, “ **I’ll be in my study, excuse me.** ” And leaves them alone in the living room.

Daphne sighs and Theodore raises an eyebrow. “ _Herbergið þitt eða mitt?_ ” she asks him.

“ _Í alvöru?_ ” he responds in surprise.

“ _Mig langar að kyssa þig._ ”

He flushes. “ _Áhættusamt._ ”

She wordlessly takes his hand and leads them to her bedroom. She shuts her door and stares at him. He hates that he can’t even make the first move; he just wants to be alone with her, with no one for miles. 

“Hi,” she says.

He smiles at her, unable to say anything.

She steps in, rises to her toes and gently kisses him. “There,” she says softly, brushing her nose against his before stepping back. “Shall we write to Neville and Luna to tell them the good news?”

“Yes, I expect their responses to be in Japanese to honor this occasion,” he says with a deadpan expression.

Daphne snorts and brings a hand to her mouth. “I’m sure they’ll try their best.”

(Theodore is certain that Daphne’s grandmother gives them more than fifteen minutes, which was kind.)

**

Daphne goes back to work. Theodore goes back to studying. Her grandfather tries to teach him how to be a Legilimens, but they both catch on rather quickly that Theodore’s strengths lie in Occlumency.

“I’m afraid you’ll just have to rely on your smarts and judgment to read people,” Mr. Matsura says.

Technically, the magic in Japan isn’t much different from England beyond the language, although the way Japanese witches and wizards study magic is different. Given that children are taught at a younger age, there is a respect for learning that he thinks is missing with a lot of his peers. There is also a focus on the body in junction with the mind while using magic that was unfamiliar to him. Now, he can’t imagine not know how magic flows through his veins, where it rests behind his breastbone. 

Daphne’s grandfather is very open about sharing. Daphne’s grandmother is most certainly not. He knows nothing of her, which is fine. They get along in that way.

The only question of a personal nature she asked was if he liked Iceland.

“ **Yes. Very much.** ”

It was calm and healing. There are so many good memories there. He doesn’t share that with her, but she seems to understand.

**

He hasn’t received proper post in years, so when he does receive a letter addressed directly to him, it’s a shock to everyone, especially himself.

Of course it’s from Luna.

“ **Who is it from?** ” Daphne asks.

“Luna,” Theodore says with a shake of his head. He opens it and quickly reads it.

_Greetings Theodore,_

_I am in Japan until we’re both required in England. I was wandering around for a bit and I’m sure I’ve sensed you miles away from where I am. Figuring it would be rude to drop by without announcement, especially since you’re a guest in someone else’s house, I’m writing you a letter. Feel free to slam the door in my face when I arrive. Miss you lots! And Daphne too!_

_All my love,  
Luna Lovegood_

He snorts and hands it to Daphne for her to read. “ **We have a mutual friend from school who is in the country. She’s very sensitive to people’s magic, so she has a general idea of where I am and would like to visit** ,” Theodore explains to Daphne’s grandparents.

Daphne shakes her head in amusement and hands the letter to her grandparents to read.

Her grandmother is bewildered, but her grandfather finds it funny.

“ **We will be out all day tomorrow, but I suppose it’s fine for you to host your friend** ,” her grandmother says slowly.

Daphne smiles. “ **I get out of work at four - I hope she arrives later so I can see her**.”

“ **Nobody knows what Luna will do** ,” Theodore says dryly, putting the letter away.

**

That evening, Daphne and Theodore are reading beside one another, Daphne’s thigh pressing distractingly against his. He wants to touch, a constant ache in the backs of his hands.

He catches her pressing against the _unmei no akai ito_ with the tip of her thumb, an echoing ache. He exhales.

(He always found it so silly, so ridiculous, watching peers in the corridors and on the grounds. He figured he could’ve gone his entire life without feeling any of it - and he probably could’ve, which if he thinks about for too long is...concerning. Maybe even a little sad.)

**

Theodore spends his morning typically: meditating, studying, practicing. There are leftovers for lunch and he makes tea. As he’s about to pour it, he hears chimes indicating there’s someone at the front of the property.

He brings out another cup before going to the door.

“ _Ohayo_!” Luna greets happily. 

“Hi, Luna,” Theodore says, unable to keep a smile off his face. “It’s good to see you.”

“You look very well,” she comments. “Are you sure you want to come back to England?”

“It is my home, you know.”

“Is it?”

He shrugs. “Pending, I suppose. I’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

“Yes. Well, are you going to let me inside?”

He steps aside.

She immediately takes her shoes off without his prompting and to his amusement, she pulls out a pair of slippers from her bag. 

“I’m a messenger as well,” she says after she looks around the living room for a good minute.

“Oh?”

“Neville gives his regards. He also wanted to let you know Gilly is doing very well at Hogwarts. She also is looking forward to working for you again.”

Theodore smiles and nods. “Thank you.”

“And I also spoke with V. She has your belongings and wishes you well.”

“I don’t suppose…” he starts, but stops once Luna reaches into her bag and pulls out a journal.

“She’s still documenting,” she says. “She said, and I quote, ‘I know I’m not off the hook on completing my homework just because the professor is out of the country.’”

He snorts and skims through the pages. “I’m not a professor.”

“You’d probably make a bad one.”

Theodore grins and pockets the journal into his robe. When he pulls his hand out, she reaches out to take it, inspecting the red thread. “So, you’re married, then,” she surmises.

“It’s not officially recognized by Japan anymore. Daphne and I need a marriage certificate.”

“But you’re essentially married.”

He sighs. “We’re bound, yes.”

She rolls her eyes, but she clearly doesn’t do it a lot since she rolls her head a little too. “When are you acquiring your _marriage certificate_ , then? Are you have a ceremony?”

“We’re just signing parchment, it’s not until the end of the month. Maybe first week of April.”

“About two weeks? Plenty of time to plan something.”

He blinks. “Pardon?”

“You should have a ceremony. Or a something as a means of celebrating.”

“I don’t know…” he trails off, unsure. And he does not like being unsure.

“I’m sure Neville can come on a weekend! And Tracey is in America, but she won’t miss her best friend’s wedding -”

“It’s not really a wedding,” he corrects her.

“Semantics. You’re solidifying your love for each other.”

“I think the _unmei no akai ito_ does the job nicely.”

“Stop being a shit and talk to your soulmate about it.”

He raises his eyebrows at her bluntness and feels himself flushing a little. “Alright, I will. So, are you really staying here until the end of April?”

“Until your return,” she confirms. “Rolf is with his family. I’m staying at a _ryokan_ that’s coincidentally only twenty minutes from here.”

He sighs. “If... _if_ we do have something. I think Daphne’s sister and her parents would have to come. She’s angry with them now, but. They’re her family.”

She hums thoughtfully. “The tea you made should be ready.”

He pours her tea and they sit across from one another.

“I also came bearing gifts,” Luna says, reading into her robe and pulling out a tin can.

His eyes nearly bug out of his head. “I’m not getting _high_ \- are you out of your _bloody mind_?” he hisses.

Luna laughs. “It’s _English breakfast_ , you numpty _._ ”

Theodore does something he’s never done in front of another person in his life: hides his face behind his hands and huffs in embarrassment.

She finds it terribly amusing. 

“Unfortunately, my comment still stands. Daphne’s grandparents pretty much abhor anything Western when it comes to food and drink,” Theodore mutters, picking up his tea. “You’ll have to save that gift for when I’m in England.”

He’s very tempted, though. But then again, he’s long used to squashing down temptations.

She frowns. “You’re Western. And so is Daphne.”

Less and less, Theodore considers. Daphne stopped using forks months ago and can’t stand the richness of English food anymore. She’s so fluent in Japanese that she now primarily dreams in it, even when it features people like him or Luna. And as for him, well. Sometimes he thinks being born in England was a mistake.

“I know,” he says simply.

They drink their tea in silence.

**

Given that he’s still the talk of the clinic whenever he comes by, he decides not to bring Luna inside. He leaves word with an administrator to let Daphne know to come to the city proper once her shift is done.

He takes Luna to a place that’s the most Western friendly that finds her attempts to speak Japanese to be charming rather than insulting. 

Daphne meets them when they’re halfway through a bottle of sake and he knows it was a rough day for her by the way her smile is subdued when she greets Luna and is quick to sit next to Theodore, taking his hand under the table.

“I have to use the restroom,” Luna says at once, leaving the table to go in the completely wrong direction.

“ _Slæmt_?” he asks.

“ _Hluti var meðhöndlað, en ég er þreyttur_.”

“ _Borðaðu í dag?_ ”

“ _Ekki mikið._ ”

“ _Viltu borða núna? Ég get líka pantað eitthvað._ ”

She squeezes his hand and he doesn’t have time to think before she leans forward, kissing his cheekbone. “Hey, are you sure you’re alright?” he murmurs by her temple.

Her hold on his hand tightens in warning, so he pulls back and looks down at the menu. “I’ve been craving eel,” he says. “Or tempura.”

“Sashimi?” she suggests.

“Pick whatever you’d like.”

Luna comes back at the table. “Looks like I need to work on my left and right,” she says with a sigh.

“ _Midari_ and _migi_ ,” Theodore and Daphne say at the same time.

“ _Midari_ written looks like the letter L, almost,” Daphne explains. Smiling seems to come a bit easier to her.

They order more sake and order food. Thankfully, Luna happily orders food as well. Luna does most of the talking, not seeming to care if either of them is fully pay attention. He tries - he finds her stories interesting, a little weird, and almost soothing, but tonight he’s distracted by the anguish that’s bleeding through the _unmei no akai ito_.

He pays and Luna requests a minute alone with him. Daphne hugs Luna goodbye and tells Theodore she’ll see him at home.

He exhales once she’s gone.

Luna hugs him so tightly that his ribs hurt, but it’s quick and one of her arms drops down his side. He feels her hand slip inside his cloak pocket. When she’s about to step back, she whispers, “Take care of your family.”

He clenches his jaw and her eyes are calm, direct.

He had no family and now he does, he supposes.

He nods and she grins brightly, waving, and twirling around to skip away.

He watches her until she’s out of sight and he continues to stand where he is for a little while longer.

**

When he arrives home, the house is quiet, save for Daphne tinkering in the kitchen. She wordlessly makes tea and they step outside, sitting on the porch. She rests her head on his shoulder.

“I miss my sister,” Daphne says.

Theodore isn’t surprised. “What would you like to do?” he asks.

She blows over the rim of her cup, but doesn’t take a sip. 

After a few moments, he reaches into his cloak and takes out what Luna had given him. It’s a pocket watch - old and scratched - but not a piece of junk like a Portkey typically is. 

She senses what it is at once. “Where is it set up to go?”

He opens it and there’s an inscription in French: _je t'aime à chaque seconde, minute, heure_. “You know where,” he says quietly.

 _Chez elle_. _Heimili hennar. Kanojo no ie._

Her home.

She takes the pocket watch from his hold. “Would you like me to do the honors?”

He glances back at the house then back at her. He nods. 

She activates the Portkey and they land across the street from Daphne’s flat in London. He’s distantly angry about the first time coming back to London in years not happening legally, but it’s a fleeting emotion that disappears when she leads him inside.

He’s nervous until he realizes that Daphne isn’t; her parents aren’t home.

The flat is a mix of east and west - Japanese ink paintings on the walls, China on the dining room table. She takes him down a corridor and stops short in front of a closed door.

She knocks twice.

“Come in,” Astoria says.

“ _Bíddu hér_ ,” Daphne murmurs before opening the door.

Theodore remains, resting his back against the wall. He doesn’t see Astoria’s reaction, but he can assume that she’s surprised.

He shuts his eyes and breathes. He can’t hear anything outside of the room, but he can feel echoes of Daphne’s pain, her exhilaration of being honest, her relief.

Something loosens in Theodore’s chest when they eventually forgive each other. He smiles for a moment and feels a pointed tug on the _unmei no akai ito_. He still waits until the door opens.

Daphne sticks her head out. “What is the point of having this bond if you don’t listen?”

“Just being polite,” he says, brushing past her.

Astoria’s eyes are watery and her face is blotchy from crying, which he ignores.

“Astoria, this is Theodore. Theodore, this is Astoria.”

Theodore raises an eyebrow and Astoria scoffs.

“Hello,” Theodore says. “It’s nice to properly meet you.”

Astoria nods. “Mum and Dad are going to be out all night - one of Mum’s friends from school is in the country for two weeks. Draco is out with Blaise.”

It’s strange to consider that when Theodore returns, he may be expected to interact with his former housemates. 

“Shall I make tea?” Astoria offers.

**

They relocate to the dining room and Theodore learns a few things about Daphne’s sister: she loves sencha, matcha, gyokuro, genmaicha - most Japanese teas - and abhors any form of black tea. She has a sense of humor and is drawn to working at the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad.

“Most of the accidents are just so silly and creative, honestly. Like, the latest story is a child in Sheffield didn’t want to eat her vegetables, so she turned all the food into the fridge into sweets and it _multiplied_ like a Gemino Curse, so by the time the Squad came in, the entire kitchen was flooded with these Muggle chocolates... _Flakes_? Anyway, they’re _delicious_.”

She doesn’t cook, so she bats her eyes at Daphne, who rolls her eyes, but begins to cook basic things, like rice and fish. Theodore watches her move around the kitchen for a few moments until he feels Astoria studying him.

“So,” Astoria starts. “What do you love most about Daphne?”

He looks over Astoria’s shoulder at Daphne. She paused for a second and then went back to moving. He meets Astoria’s expecting gaze.

“Her heart.”

Astoria blinks. “What?”

Daphne looks over her shoulder and smiles.

“Her mind,” Theodore revises softly.

“No, you said _heart_. What did you mean?” Astoria demands.

One of his right fingers touches the _unmei no akai ito_ under the table. “It’s the root of everything. How her mind works the way it does, her interests, her morals, the way she navigates the world and everything in it.”

Daphne plates the food and brings it to the table. He can feel Astoria’s eyes still fixated on him, but he’s drawn to the curve of Daphne’s neck, the way a few strands of hair are slipping through her haphazard bun. She sits down next to Theodore and looks between them, her hand covering his.

It’s nothing new to Daphne, but it’s new to be open about it to other people.

“Oh, wow. That’s…” Astoria trails off, looking to Daphne with an expression Theodore doesn’t know how to interpret. “That’s lovely.”

Daphne smiles. “So...will you come?”

Astoria breathes. “ _Hai_.”

“Good. Let’s eat.”

**

By the time they get back to Japan, it’s almost five in the morning. But Daphne still brings out the parchment, quill, and ink, and writes invitations to their official marriage contract signing: Astoria, Tracey, Luna, Neville.

He sighs at one point. “Malfoy?” he asks, resting his chin on his hand.

She stares at him, blinking slowly. “You don’t like him. I don’t like him.”

“Yes, but your sister loves him.”

She shuts her eyes. He waits patiently. He doesn’t care either way, but it’ll matter to Daphne. He’s tempted to shut his eyes himself.

“Alright. We’ll invite him.”

He shuts his eyes and nods. “You have work in the morning?” he murmurs.

She hums. 

“You should sleep.”

“No, we’ll get a second wind.”

He forces himself to open his eyes. “How?”

She smiles slowly and he shuts his eyes again, but opens them immediately when he feels her hands on his shoulders.

“Daphne,” he says, barely above a whisper. “What are you doing?” He leans back against the char and rolls his head back to rest against Daphne’s chest.

“I would like to sit on your lap, but you’ve pulled your chair in too far.” One of her hands moves from his shoulder to his head, curling hair behind his ear, combing through with her fingers. “Exhausted and not even slouching.”

He exhales through his nose. “You know why.”

She kisses the top of his head. “I know. But I figured now that he’s dead…”

“So, rebel?” he finishes for her, the corner of his mouth twitching.

She smiles. Her hand comes to his cheek and taps her index finger once against his skin. He feels the chair slowly move back as she steps back.

Protests are on the tip of his tongue, but he’s too tired to speak and feeling her against him is a relief.

Her dress rides up when she straddles his legs and sits down. He sighs and places his hands on her thighs. Her black tights are soft.

She rolls her hips once and his hands are quick to grab hers to keep her still. He opens his mouth to say something, but she kisses him quiet. He inhales sharply and he makes some sort of noise in the back of his throat - needy, wanting. His skin flushes hot with embarrassment and then arousal as her tongue meets his, her body pressing against his.

“We can’t,” he hisses when her mouth trails to his jaw, his neck.

“I know, I know,” she murmurs.

There’s a quick thought that they should move, preferably to her room since she’s furthest away from her grandparents, and in the next press of their hips, he gasps at the smell of plum blossoms that’s concentrated in her bedroom, her bed soft under him.

“How the hell -?” Theodore starts to say when her mouth travels to his neck again.

“I’ll explain in the morning,” she says against his skin. Her hands drop down to his lap, undoing his belt.

He rolls his hips toward her while trying to separate them.

Her hands still. She’s breathing heavily and her tongue touches her bottom lip. He brings a hand to touch her face and she quickly kisses his palm. He wants to say _we can’t_ again, but he wantsneeds her. 

She slowly begins undoing his belt again, unzipping his trousers, sliding down his body so she’s on her knees when she takes him out of his pants and -

He slaps one hand to his mouth and the other grips blankets. Her hand that’s not on him goes to cover his tightly holding her bedding, forcing him to let go and lace his fingers with hers, grounding him. 

She hums around him and he chokes out her name, letting go. He bites his hand; usually he’s better at not making a sound. 

She flips her hair over a shoulder when she comes up swallowing, bringing a finger to the corner of her mouth even though it’s clean. Her mouth is a dark pink. She gently tucks him into his pants, but leaves his trousers undone. 

He breathes heavily, watching her as she comes into his space, hands on his shoulders. “Better?” 

He doesn’t have it in him to counter her. “What do you want?” he asks. 

He wants to return the favor, but he always asks. 

She stands to slide her tights down her legs. “Hands,” she sighs when she sinks in his lap again. Her hand plays with the hairs on the back of his neck and he revels in the warmth of her skin. 

She huffs and takes his hand off her thigh and guides him between her legs. She stops short. 

He leans in and presses his forehead against hers and touches her. 

He missed this - the closeness. He always takes his time when he touches her, afraid to hurt her, so usually, like in this case, she makes an impatient noise from the back of her throat and brings one of her hands down between them to guide his fingers into her. He twitches painfully in his pants when she tightly grips around him, desperately trying to get hard again.

It doesn’t take long, once he’s found a rhythm that she follows. He kisses her neck and she cradles his head in her hands, gripping his hair when she comes around his fingers. She sighs, tilting his head up to kiss him. He slips his hand away and pulls away from her lips to bring his fingers to his mouth. Her already flushed skin darkens.

“Next time,” she says.

He smiles, then yawns. “I think we made a poor judgment - now I’m even more tired,” he admits.

“Sorry,” she says, not sounding remotely apologetic.

He smiles and presses his forehead against hers. 

“Just stay here,” she sighs.

He nods. They’re getting married on parchment in a week and they’re magically connected for life. Who the bloody hell cares.

(That’s definitely the exhaustion talking.)

**

He wakes up quickly when he senses someone entering her room - sitting up suddenly and propping himself in front of Daphne, who tries to hit his back in reprimand.

“ **You went against a lot of rules last night** ,” her grandmother says.

Daphne sits up, her eyes puffy and half shut in exhaustion. He wants to wrap an arm around her so she can rest against him, but he refrains.

“ **You not only left the country, but you’ve ignored the strict sleeping arrangements.** ”

“ **Grandmother, I’m tired** _,_ ” Daphne murmurs. “ **And the sleeping arrangement is ridiculous at this point.** ”

Theodore keeps his mouth shut.

The corner of her grandmother’s mouth twitches. “ **I suppose it was asking a lot for two young adults who love each other to be apart**.”

He feels her rest her chin on his shoulder. He exhales.

“You may share a room,” she says in English, which Theodore has learned that she only does so when she’s being serious and respectful. “But do not leave the country again.”

He feels Daphne smile. 

“ **You’ve developed a good reputation at that clinic. You’re not required there today.** ” Her grandmother reaches into her pocket and takes out a pocket watch. “ **Your grandfather and I have an appointment. We’ll be back by supper. I do hope you don’t sleep the day away.** ”

“ **We’ll make supper** ,” Theodore offers.

“ **We’ll see you later.** ” Her grandmother leaves them. He holds his breath until he feels her grandparents step out of the house.

She pulls him back down and she’s quick to fall asleep. He spends a little time watching her before going back to sleep.

**

They only sleep for an hour more before getting up for the day.

“I have to ask,” Theodore starts while they’re out shopping for food. “Is there a reason why last night we…” he trails off, proud for not flushing. He’s not embarrassed to talk about sex, really, but it can be admittedly awkward. “Besides…”

“Besides my wanting to?” she finishes for him. He feels himself flushing a little and she smiles. “As you know, that house is very old. It’s been around for centuries. Ancient magic is weaved into everything. The house almost has...sentience.”

He thinks about it for a moment. “Forgive me for being direct -”

“Yes, given that sex was an important component of a lot of ancient magic, the house and therefore my grandparents will know. And given that we haven’t had proper sex since _unmei no akai ito_ , well…”

He tries not to smile, but he can’t help it. He brings a hand to his mouth.

“Hush, you,” she says half-heartedly, but she starts laughing too. “Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?”

“Fireworks, primarily.”

Daphne throws her head back and laughs. “ _No_.”

“Sorry,” he says with a shake of his head, still smiling. “It’s ridiculous.”

“A bit, but I love that you thought of it.”

They finish shopping and she directs him on what they’re making. At one point, while waiting for things to cook and boil, they snog a bit, which is nice since he figured he’d almost forgotten how. 

They even make dessert, which Theodore doesn’t really care for, but it’s the gesture that counts. So when her grandparents arrive and see what they’ve done, they bow in gratitude. 

(As he’s cleaning up and Daphne leaves the kitchen to get ready for sleep, her grandmother comes in and helps in silence. Once the kitchen is clean, she says, “Welcome to the family,” which leaves him rather speechless.)

**

The night before their nuptials, they are reading in bed when he remembers something.

He puts his book down and places it on her lap to go to his bag at the other end of the room. He rummages through the bottom of his belongings, finding what he’s looking for. 

He doesn’t like thinking about the last time he spent time alone with his mother. They spent the afternoon ice skating in the bitter cold and drinking tea to warm up by the fire. When he was sent to his room to freshen up for dinner, he found a ring with a gemstone in his pocket that he doesn’t remember his mother sneaking in. He was smart at eight to know to hide it.

Theodore still knows nothing about it. Or, not enough to satisfy his curiosity.

He sits at the edge of the bed and shows it to Daphne without an introduction.

She stares at it for a moment before taking it, letting it rest in the palm of her hand.

“What do you sense?” he asks.

She shuts her eyes briefly. “It’s your mother’s.” She closes her hand around it. “It...reminds me of Iceland. Is it from there?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. She snuck it into the pocket of my trousers when I was eight. There wasn’t any explanation given.”

She cups his face with her free hand. “It’s beautiful.” She opens her hand to show him the ring. “Will you do the honors?”

He slips it onto her left ring finger. For an irrational moment, he thought the _unmei no akai ito_ would prevent him from putting it on, but they watch with fascination as the _unmei no akai ito_ shifts lower onto her finger, acting as a matching wedding band.

“Brilliant,” she says, holding her hand out to look at the ring. “Thank you, it’s lovely.”

“You wear it well,” he says.

“You’ve never seen her wear it, have you,” she states rather than asks.

“No. It wasn’t from my father.”

“Makes sense.” 

He takes her hand and admired the gemstone on her hand. It’s slate blue - he’s not sure what it is, exactly, but it seems to shine without any direct light on it. She’s right though, it does remind him of Iceland a bit, or maybe more Scandinavia - like that quiet time when he waited in Stockholm and admired the Baltic Sea. 

He kisses her knuckles and lets go of her hand. 

“You’re lucky you didn’t need to buy any jewelry,” she jokes.

“Yes, especially since I hate wearing it. My father tried to give me a ring with the family crest on it and it was awful to wear, but I think it was because my body was naturally fighting against it and I was forcing to make it work.”

“What happened to the ring? I don’t think I recall you ever wearing one.”

“Never wore it at school. I tossed it into the Greenland Sea.”

Daphne snorts. “Dramatic.”

“A bit,” he admits. “Wanted to be rid of it. Not exactly proud of the Nott name.”

“Well, you’re welcome to mine. In Japan, the man can take the woman’s name.”

“Theodore Matsura?” he tries out.

“I like it. What do you think?”

He’s about to ask what her family will think, but he supposes they’d be fine with it if they’re considering him part of the family. “I’d be honored.”

She pulls the blanket back. “Now get back in bed. The sooner we fall asleep, the sooner it’ll be tomorrow.”

“Cute.”

**

He wakes up early in the morning, meditates, and goes to quietly make breakfast when he hears charms outside the house.

“Oh dear,” he murmurs, going to the door.

He opens it to reveal Luna, Neville, and Tracey. “Surprise!” Luna whispers with a large smile.

“You’re here very early,” Theodore points out.

“Yes, well, the hours available to get here were rubbish, sorry,” Neville says sheepishly.

“Come in,” Theodore steps aside. “Shoes off, please.”

To his immense amusement, they all brought slippers. 

“I was just going to make breakfast. I just put on some tea,” he says quietly. “I’m not sure who’s awake, but all the same, please be quiet.”

“I plan on sleeping, don’t worry,” Tracey says before yawning.

True to her word, once she sits down on the floor, she unceremoniously falls to her side and dozes, which Theodore finds pretty impressive. Luna offers to help make breakfast, but Neville is quick to insist that he help instead.

“I love her to bits, but you do not want her to do anything other than make tea,” Neville mutters under his breath. “Got a spare apron? I’m terrible at getting rid of stains on clothes.”

Theodore offers his. “I’m fantastic at it.”

Neville snorts. “Arsehole.”

They make salmon, steamed rice, and miso soup. Neville has made it before having lived in Japan, so it’s a shared effort. At one point, Daphne comes in and brings her hands to her mouth, happily surprised. Her hair is in an elaborate bun. “You should’ve woken me up!” Daphne says to Theodore.

“Isn’t beauty sleep important?”

She rolls her eyes and kisses Neville briefly on the cheek as he’s seasoning the salmon. “How are you doing, Neville?”

“Well, thanks. How are you? Excited?”

She looks over to Theodore. “Yes, very much.”

Breakfast is served and Tracey is dumbfounded by the spread. “You really eat this for breakfast?”

“It’s light and basic,” Daphne explains.

Tracey looks to Theodore with a flat expression.

“It’s a bit of an adjustment,” Theodore admits.

“Thought so,” Tracey says, taking a few tries to pick up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and eating it. “Wow, this is brilliant. Nice one, Neville.”

“It’s really the fish. The quality of the food here is bar none,” Neville says, flushing a little.

They eat quietly for the most part. Eventually, Daphne’s grandparents come in and serve themselves tea. Theodore is convinced there’s more to the master suite that her grandparents occupy since they give no indication of being hungry.

Daphne introduces everyone to her grandparents. Luna and Neville bow at the same time with Tracey following suit a moment afterward. Neville is able to speak pleasantries in passable Japanese, but the language quickly switches to English for everyone’s benefit.

“So, must we go to Tokyo? Or can it be done in Kyoto?” Luna asks.

“Tokyo, but we've picked a lovely restaurant to celebrate,” Daphne’s grandmother answers with a small smile. 

The charms go off again and Daphne’s sudden rise in anxiety makes Theodore clear his throat. 

She shoots him an apologetic look before going to answer the door, revealing her parents, sister, and Malfoy.

He hides his automatic grimace by drinking more tea. 

“Whose idea was that?” Neville asks under his breath.

“He’s going to be my brother-in-law,” Theodore sighs.

Neville sighs and slaps him on the back once. “My condolences.”

Theodore rolls his eyes. 

He’s formally introduced to Daphne’s parents. He isn’t sure who talked to her parents - Daphne or Astoria - but they attempt a smile when shaking hands.

Astoria gasps and rushes forward, grabbing Daphne’s hand. “What’s this?” she exclaims, admiring her ring. “You weren’t wearing this before!” Astoria lifts her head and gestures for her parents to come over.

Malfoy and Theodore are pretty much left alone - for the first time in years, now that he thinks about it.

“I suppose a 'congratulations' is in order,” Malfoy says quietly, nodding to Theodore’s left hand. 

Theodore nods. “Likewise.”

“Yeah, well. All the pomp and circumstance are really for my parents and Astoria. Can’t really care about it all anymore.” Malfoy clenches his jaw, exhales as he braces himself. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about how I’ve spoken about Daphne in front of you.”

“It’s not worth much.”

Malfoy snorts, unsurprised. But Luna’s sudden laughter from across the room makes Theodore crane his neck to look at her, meeting her mirthful gaze.

Theodore raises an eyebrow and turns around to look back at Malfoy.

“Did she…” Malfoy starts to say.

“I think calling her ‘Loony’ is a completely inaccurate insult,” Theodore interrupts him. “I should warn you that if you insult any of the people in this room again, I will set your hair on fire. And as for Astoria - you won’t just have to contend with Daphne.”

The corner of Malfoy’s mouth twitches. “Noted.”

“Good. If you’ll excuse me, I should change.”

He goes into Daphne’s room and contemplates on the nicest pair of trousers he has only to find a new pair of dark trousers, a crisp white shirt, and new dress robe for him. “ _Mochiron…_ ” he mutters under his breath.

The shoji shuts behind him and he’s pretty sure it was Daphne’s grandmother.

He sighs and puts on the new clothes.

**

The marriage license signing is quick. Their blood is used as ink, which Theodore thinks is rather archaic and Daphne’s grandfather signs as a witness. Nothing changes, but Theodore admires the __  
kanzashi  
in Daphne’s hair, chains of sakura blossoms resting against the side of her face, moving when she smiles brightly at him.

The ceremony is brief as well, the officiant a close friend of Daphne’s grandparents. It’s surprisingly nice to have their friends there and Theodore finds it particularly amusing when Astoria gets teary and grips Malfoy, who shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

In traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies, it’s not customary for the bride and groom to kiss - that is a strictly Western tradition. Given the circumstances, Theodore doesn’t expect to kiss Daphne, but once the ceremony is complete and the officiant leaves, congratulating them both, Tracey hisses to Astoria, “What, they don’t get to kiss? What a load of bollocks.” 

Daphne and Theodore look at each other. Theodore doesn’t care either way, but he’s meets Daphne halfway since he feels what she feels. Something in his veins sing when their lips touch and he holds her hands tighter.

“ _Yes_ ,” Tracey exclaims, which makes Daphne smile against his mouth.

He pulls back to whisper in her ear. “I believe we have a fan,” he murmurs.

She takes his chin and guides his face look at everyone, her point not needing to be said out loud.

**

The reception - or _hiroen_ , as it’s called - consists of going to nice restaurant in the city and booking a private room. It’s tame, given that there is no dancing or anything else that he’s typically understood to be included in a wedding reception (although there is at least a little alcohol, so that’s something). Daphne’s grandparents explain to their English friends that what traditionally happens is that the bride and groom’s bosses give speeches. But given the untraditional nature of the relationship - and also the simple fact that Theodore does not have a job - they are forgoing that. Instead, they offer the floor to anyone who wishes to give a speech.

“I’ll speak for Daphne,” Astoria claims at once.

Neville looks to Luna, who smiles absentmindedly. She looks around the table and says, “I didn’t know what to think of Theodore Nott with his Death Eater father and his fraternizing with less than savory folk.”

Theodore tries not to laugh, but has to take a long drink of water in order for that to happen.

“But it’s quite obvious if you spend more than a minute with him that he’s far more interesting than he likes to reveal. He has a strong set of principles and is open minded. He has a delightful sense of humor and loves very, very particularly, and deeply.” She smiles at them both. “He and Daphne are a beautiful duo that have been tested by a lot of ugly things. I think it’s about time they’re left alone to be happy.”

Luna finishes with a bright smile directed at Theodore, who smiles at her. “Thank you,” he says, touched.

“My turn!” Astoria says, shimmying her shoulders before clearing her throat. “Daphne,” she starts, grinning at her. “My older sister. The wisest person I know. The most practical. Infuriating, for sure. Caring. My protector.” Her eyes fill with tears and he has a difficult time watching. “I can be the most infuriating cow, but Daphne still loves and cares for me.” She inhales, exhales. “When I found out about Daphne and Theodore, it was strange since he was like one of the ghosts at Hogwarts. I didn’t understand why, what, or how. But I saw how much it hurt her, being apart, and I saw how happy she was when she knew she was going to see him. And now that I’m finally beginning to get to know him...I think I can answer the why, what, and how.” She smiles. “Congratulations, Daphne. And Theodore: welcome to the family.”

Daphne carefully wipes a tear from the corner of her eye and smiles at her sister as the next course arrives. 

He uses the time to get to know Daphne’s parents, who are more open to him. Daphne’s mother is so obviously a Matsura, finding familiar qualities from her parents that he quickly comes to like her. As for Daphne’s father - who understands his side the most - doesn’t speak much, but Theodore appreciates the camaraderie.

There’s another tradition in which the bride reads a letter to her parents, which Daphne keeps brief, thanking them for raising her and allowing her to love whom she wanted, even though Theodore thinks it’s a bit of a generous stretch, given that her mother was less than supportive in the relative beginning. But what Theodore found the most moving was when she also thanked her grandparents. They’re so caught off guard about it that their surprise and delight isn’t masked at all. In fact, Theodore would be willing to wager that there are tears in their eyes. 

As for him, he just says “thank you” in every language he knows: thank you, _arigato, Þakka þér fyrir._

**

Once the meal is over, Daphne and Theodore thank everyone for coming and her grandparents pull them aside to let them know that they may stay at a hotel in Tokyo until the night before their return to England. They would like to host them a final time. Daphne brings up work, but her grandparents are crafty and had already coordinated with the clinic on her behalf, so they’re already aware.

Daphne surprises her grandparents by hugging them. It takes them a few seconds to return it, but Theodore can see from their faces how much they love her. 

Personally, he’s very happy about this particular wedding gift.

In the meantime, after her grandparents leave, her parents present Daphne and Theodore with their gift and kiss their daughter on the cheek before they leave. Malfoy excuses himself with them, claiming he needs to get back to England for work, but judging by Astoria rolling her eyes, it doesn’t seem to be truthful. 

“So...after party?” Astoria suggests with a mischievous smile.

Neville and Tracey nod enthusiastically. Luna fiddles with something in her pocket and Theodore knows _that’s_ not English breakfast tea leaves. 

Daphne looks up at Theodore and shrugs once. “Let’s get pissed, shall we?”

He shrugs. “Sure.”

**

The after party, or _nijikai_ , as it’s called, consists of going to a bar and drinking a copious amount of alcohol. For a while, he always associated it with that awful, yet peaceful summer in which his father’s face was plastered all over _The Daily Prophet_ and he was home alone unsupervised. So it’s nice to replace those memories with Daphne’s flushed cheeks and brilliant smile, Luna laughing as she sits on Tracey’s lap, her legs stretched out on Neville’s; Tracey and Astoria trying to tell a story of something that happened in the Slytherin common room but unable to get to the point, Neville consistently ordering food and drinking straight whisky without a flinch, snorting it up his nose once when Daphne makes an offhand comment about their hanging out with a celebrity.

What little Japanese Astoria knows goes pretty much out of the window as she leans across the bar and requests another round. Thankfully, the bartender speaks English very well and he kindly responds in English.

“Hey, y’know, these two are _married_ , like their _souls_ are _together_ ,” Astoria says in a loud whisper.

The bartender looks to Theodore and Daphne, both of whom lift their left hands at the same time. The bartender’s eyes widen.

“Congratulations,” he stutters in shock. He pours everyone a round. “On the house.”

“To the bride and groom!” Tracey half-yells.

It goes on until what should be dinner time, but instead of eating, they somehow make their way to the hotel and crash.

**

Luckily, there is one other potion he has invented during that drunken summer: hangover cure.

“You, sir, are a genius,” Neville sighs in relief once he drinks his dose, color returning to his face.

“I don’t understand how this works so well and what’s on the market doesn’t,” Tracey says in awe while on their way out for breakfast.

“Because the wizard in question didn’t take into account why the body is in so much pain - what the alcohol does to it and the subsequent withdrawal,” Theodore explains. “It just masks the symptoms. This actually gets to the root of the problem and eliminates it.”

Astoria looks to Daphne, then looks at Neville and Luna. “Sorry, I know Granger is your friend, but she can frankly stuff it.”

“Your sister said that already,” Theodore says.

“I mean, she’ll be at your engagement party, so they’re going to properly meet,” Neville thinks out loud.

Theodore does not want to speak with Granger or Potter or any Weasley in attendance, but he’s resigned to doing it for Neville and Luna. 

They find a quiet place to get breakfast and eventually, it’s time for them to leave.

“The couple need to be a couple,” Luna says, which makes everyone uncomfortable.

Given that they’ll be seeing each other in a couple of weeks, the goodbyes are quick and happy at the Ministry. 

Daphne sighs. “So. We’re alone in Tokyo for a week and you haven’t been. How would you like to spend the time?”

Theodore hums. “I think we may need to go back to the room and plan very thoroughly.”

She stares at him. “Perhaps you’re right.”

**

(Needless to say, planning is not done, but they are thorough on other matters.)

((He also learns that they were absolutely prudent, for lack of a better term, to refrain from having sex because he felt it - the first time; there’s no way that wouldn’t have changed or added to the structure of that house.))

**

During that first visit to Iceland, Daphne told him of what she did - hiding in plain sight in cities, including Tokyo, pretending to be somebody else. This time, she is Daphne, showing Theodore what she knows of Tokyo and what she doesn’t know, they discover together.

...No need to share more.

**

When they go back to Kyoto, Daphne’s grandparents make them a feast and what they plan on doing when they first get back to England. Theodore wouldn’t have thought they would care, but perhaps they’ve resigned themselves to the fact that as much as they don’t like England, their family is inextricably entwined with it and it cannot be undone.

(Besides, the ultimate end goal may be to have a grandchild attend Mahoutokoro, meet a partner there, continue the family line until all the English blood is washed away; that’s what he thinks, but he’ll keep that to himself. Daphne may come to this thought herself or she may not. He’s known for a long time that people have dark, ugly motivations, but that doesn’t necessarily make them evil or unforgivable. He should know.)

**

The Saturday they’re expected to go to England, they don’t have to leave until five in the afternoon, given that the meeting is scheduled for eight in the morning. So they pack leisurely, Daphne says goodbye to fellow staff at the clinic who work weekends and catches Kaoru, who presented them with a gift and made her promise to schedule a dinner when they return to Kyoto.

“She promises that she will keep at studying English, but she is not a quick study. Brilliant in other ways, but not so much with this,” Daphne says.

In the afternoon, they travel to Tokyo to the Ministry of Magic and fill out the paperwork to legally travel out of the country.

“I got used to the quickness of illegal travel,” Theodore mutters in Icelandic.

But finally, it’s time. Theodore will be traveling separately, given that he will be landing in Cornwall to complete the exchange - his research findings thus far in exchange to restoration of his citizenship.

(They’ll find out soon enough that parts of it are written in code and they won’t be able to properly translate without him.)

Daphne had wanted to be there, but Theodore also knows that she wants to be present for her sister. Besides, he’s not one for rubbing his wins in people’s faces - he’s sure their seeing them together will remind them of what happened in Sweden. 

And he has other people there waiting for him to welcome him back.

Luckily the weather is mild when he lands in Porthcuno, a small ocean village. Neville and Luna are there along with the Ministry folk he’ll be hopeful to rarely see again. Headmistress McGonagall is there as well, surprisingly. Tracey is present with a camera.

The exchange is done on a beach and when their hands shake, a photograph is taken. “Selling this for a pretty galleon!” Tracey exclaims, breaking the tense silence.

“Welcome home,” Shacklebolt says with a warm smile.

We’ll see about that.

Luna does her best to skip in the sand, but it’s an awkward gait that makes him smile. She hugs him tightly.

“Now I can host _you_ ,” she says. “I hope you like tea made of tree bark.”

“I’ll give it a try,” he says, nonplussed while Neville grimaces.

Neville shakes his hand firmly. Tracey gives him a large, excited smile.

“Nott,” Headmistress McGonagall greets him.

“Headmistress.”

She looks down at his left hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone not Japanese with that around their finger.”

He stretches out his hand to look at the _unmei no akai ito_. “I suppose it’s safe to assume that England won’t recognize it?”

“Unfortunately not, but they will recognize the legal documents you filed in Japan. Congratulations, by the way.”

Theodore smiles. “I’m sure we’ll do something here. You’ll be more than welcome to attend, given that you were important to the longevity of the book lending system.”

She returns his smile with teary eyes. “I’m very happy for you, Nott.” She nods. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to Hogwarts.”

“Of course.”

“While you have your sources, if you need text recommendations, I am always reachable via owl.”

Once he’s settled, he’ll begin corresponding with her. “Thank you, Headmistress.”

She exhales. “Just call me Minerva. Headmistress McGonagall is a mouthful.”

She leaves for Hogwarts and eventually he’s left alone with Neville, Luna, and Tracey.

“So, Astoria and Malfoy’s engagement party isn’t for another...ten hours,” Tracey says, looking at her watch. “What shall be done in the meantime?”

They look to him.

“I was thinking of sleeping for a while to get used to the time difference,” Theodore says.

They all groan. “That’s too responsible! This is the first time you’re home in _years_ ,” Tracey insists. 

Theodore checks his own watch. “Shall we get food, then?”

“Yeah, that works, I’m starving,” Neville says at once.

They travel to London and are discussing where to eat breakfast (or really dinner, in Theodore’s case), when Daphne suddenly arrives.

“Wicked - how did you know where we were?” Neville asks in awe.

Theodore and Daphne lift their hands at the same time. “It’s a new point of focus while Apparating,” Daphne explains.

“That’s so romantic,” Tracey sighs. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting your dress altered?”

“Already done. I have a few hours before lunch with extended family, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to steal him.”

“Let’s meet here for lunch, then, at one?” Neville suggests. “I need to get something to eat now though.”

“I want to show you something,” Daphne says to Theodore.

“See you later, I suppose,” Theodore says to the rest of the group.

“Bye!”

Tracey gives Daphne an obvious wink. Daphne shoots her a blank look and takes his arm to Disapparate.

They land in front of a street of flats. He looks around and eventually orients himself, recognizing them to be in Primrose Hill, a neighborhood a bit away from central London where Daphne’s family resides. 

“So, I haven’t been completely honest in terms of how I spend my free time when I’m not working,” Daphne starts, biting her lip. “I’ve been trying to find a place for us to live in London for a while, but the problem was, even with our combined savings, I couldn’t find anything suitable. But once my grandparents approved of our relationship, I was able to expand our options.”

He looks at the buildings again. “You bought a flat?” he asks, surprised.

“Townhouse,” she corrects. “I just wanted you - us, really - to come home to something.”

He swallows over the sudden lump in his throat, unable to find words. Since he’s never lived in a city before, he’s shown how the flat appears on the street, typically hidden from Muggle eyes. They’re greeted by Gilly, who cries out of joy to see him. He’s happy to see her too, so much so that he gives her a proper smile, teeth and all.

Daphne leads him through the space - full of light, high, enchanted ceilings and windows. Some aspects are distinctly English, like the furniture in the living room and the dining room table and chairs, but others are distinctly Japanese, like the art hanging on the walls, the design of one of the three bedrooms, which Daphne explains is for her grandparents specifically when they visit.

And their room.

The floor is tatami, but their bed frame has height and the mattress looks like something from his childhood bedroom. He checks his watch and they both of a little over three hours alone.

“We should probably sleep,” Daphne says, taking off her slippers.

He follows suit and also takes off his trousers and shirt, taking care to fold them properly so they’re not wrinkled. She twists her hair into a bun and takes off her jumper, revealing a sleeveless shirt and gets into bed first, pulling him in so their foreheads touch when he rests beside her.

“What do you think?” she whispers.

“I love it,” he answers honestly.

“Good. I mean, not that you could’ve had any other feeling because this took a _long_ time and if you hated it, I would’ve just kicked you out,” she jokes.

“Shut up,” he says, kissing her soundly. “Go rest. Otherwise we’ll fall asleep at dinner.”

“Serves Astoria right,” she grumbles, flipping onto her back and draping her arm above her head. "This is not what I had in mind."

"What?"

"Our grand homecoming. Showing you this, I expected more…impropriety."

Theodore raises his eyebrows and fights back a laugh. 

"Don't you dare laugh."

"No, it's, uh…brilliant?" he ventures. "Lovely, really."

She turns her head to smile teasingly at him. "Lovely," she repeats.

"You're very lovely."

She smiles.

"I'm not opposed to…impropriety," he offers. "If that's –"

Daphne rolls over and presses her forehead against him. "Yes," she says, cupping his cheek. "But you’re sensible and right - we should sleep."

Theodore frowns and takes a fallen strap of her shirt and slips it up. "Alright."

She kisses his forehead and pulls back, running a hand through her hair. "I also planned on an excellent breakfast. I know you've been on a strict Japanese only diet, so I was prepared to make a full English breakfast."

Sometimes he's so overwhelmed by her that he loses the ability to speak.

"What?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

"We have time," he declares, lifting the blanket and sliding under it.

"Theodore, what are you – _oh_ ," Daphne exhales once he slips his hands up her thighs and finds her knickers. 

"Is this –"

"Theodore Nott, we are on a strict schedule," she interrupts him.

(So instead of three hours of sleep they really only get one, but there’s plenty of time to sleep later.)

**

They part ways in the afternoon - Daphne with her family and Theodore with Luna and Neville. Tracey, apparently, has an American boyfriend and had to get him from the Ministry.

“Is this new?” Theodore asks, only because Daphne has never said anything about it; he wouldn’t care otherwise.

“Don’t know, but she’s bringing him tonight. Speaking of, why aren’t you with Daphne during all these family events?” Neville asks.

“They don’t know I exist and Daphne doesn’t want to take away from Astoria.”

“How is she hiding the _unmei no akai ito_?” Luna inquires.

He wordlessly shows his hands to the table, uses his right hand to grip his left ring finger. He shuts his eyes and once he’s sure it’s gone, he lets go of his finger. They lean forward and gape.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“You can make it unseen, but not for long,” he says, making a fist with his left and when he flexes his fingers, the _unmei no akai ito_ is back where it belongs. “I’m sure we’ll be found out at some point.”

He’s right, of course. It happens when they first see each other at the over the top, opulent party that he had hoped to have left behind years ago. He has her hand and tries not to laugh at the _unmei no akai ito_ stubbornly remaining on her finger.

“Ridiculous,” she mutters, but she can’t stop smiling. “Ah, well.” She moves her ring from her right hand back to her left hand. “It’s not meant to be hidden anyway.”

He wanted to, once; now he’s content for it, them, him, to be seen.


End file.
